South Korea has appointed economist Kim Heung-chong as its new ambassador to the United Kingdom, the Foreign Ministry said Friday, in a broader reshuffle that includes new envoys to the Dominican Republic and Bahrain.
Kim, former president of the state-run Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, is known for his expertise in trade and global economic strategy. He served at the institute from 2002 and led it from 2020 to 2023.
He has also held a range of advisory roles, including as a member of the government’s policy advisory committee under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and as an advisor on South Korea-European Union free trade agreement negotiations.
Kim's experience extends to political advisory work as well. In 2024, he joined the Democratic Party of Korea’s national economic advisory council, which was relaunched by President Lee Jae Myung when he was party leader. During Lee’s presidential campaign, Kim chaired the campaign’s global economic strategy committee.
He also contributed to a book on economic policy published by Lee and a group of experts, titled “Well-being-ism: Inclusive Innovation Growth.”
In the same round of appointments, the ministry named Lim Baejin, a former minister-counselor at the South Korean Embassy in Israel, as ambassador to the Dominican Republic.
Choi Byung-sun, currently serving at the South Korean Embassy in Egypt, was appointed ambassador to Bahrain.
The latest personnel changes come as Seoul seeks to strengthen its diplomatic and economic engagement with key partners across Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.
mkjung@heraldcorp.com
