EAM Jaishankar Sends Warm Wishes To South Korea’s New FM Cho Hyun

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Monday extended warm wishes to Ambassador Cho Hyun on becoming South Korea’s new Foreign Minister.

Taking to X, Jaishankar wrote, “Extend warm felicitations to DPM & FM @prevotmaxime, the Government and the people of the Kingdom of Belgium on their National Day. Confident that our close and multifaceted cooperation will continue to deepen in the years ahead.”

Who is FM Cho Hyun?

Ambassador Cho Hyun, a veteran diplomat, earlier served as South Korea’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. He has held crucial diplomatic roles around the globe.

On Monday, FM Cho Hyun extended a rare public apology for the ministry’s past diplomatic actions. He said the previous Yoon Suk Yeol government had misused it for political motives.

Cho made his remarks at the Oath-taking ceremony as the first foreign minister under President Lee Jae-myung.

Lee took office last month following the ousting of Yoon over his poorly executed martial law in December.

Cho said, “Over the past few years, diplomatic issues have been used for domestic political purposes, and the field of diplomacy, where national interest and pragmatism should prevail, was often approached in a black-and-white manner.”

He noted, “As foreign minister, I offer my sincere apology to the public.”

Additionally, he also mentioned that the foreign ministry has failed to meet public expectations throughout the process and vowed to reform the organisation to prevent a recurrence of such missteps.

Cho noted that in this time of growing geopolitical instability, establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula has to be a top diplomatic priority for South Korea, Yonhap news agency reported.

He stated, “We must work closely with the United States to ease tensions on the peninsula and create a path for dialogue with North Korea.”

He also stressed the need to make ‘tangible’ progress in efforts towards resolving North Korea’s nuclear issues.

Also Read: PM Modi Calls Operation Sindoor A ‘Vijay Utsav’; Urges Parliament To Celebrate Armed Forces’ Success