Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (South Korea)
Encyclopedia
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT) is in charge of diplomacy
for South Korea
, as well as handling external trade and matters related to overseas Korean nationals. It was established on 17 July 1948. Until 1998, the ministry was known as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; its jurisdiction over trade was added, along with its present name, in 1998. Its main office is located in Seoul
's Jongno-gu
.
Foreign relations of South Korea
The foreign relations of South Korea are South Korean relations with other governments.South Korea maintains diplomatic relations with more than 188 countries. The country has also been a member of the United Nations since 1991, when it became a member state at the same time as North Korea...
for South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, as well as handling external trade and matters related to overseas Korean nationals. It was established on 17 July 1948. Until 1998, the ministry was known as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; its jurisdiction over trade was added, along with its present name, in 1998. Its main office is located in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
's Jongno-gu
Jongno-gu
Jongno-gu is a gu, or district, in central Seoul, South Korea. It takes its name from a major local street, Jongno, which means "Bell Street". Jongno-gu has been the center of the city for 600 years, since where the Joseon dynasty established its capital city...
.
List of heads
| Historical period | No. | Name | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Republic First Republic of South Korea The First Republic of South Korea was South Korea's first independent government, ruling the country from 1948 to 1960. It succeeded USAMGIK, the United States military government, which ruled the area from 1945 to 1948. The First Republic was established on August 15, 1948, with Syngman Rhee as... |
1 | Jang Taek-sang Jang Taek-sang Jang Taek-sang was a South Korean politician. He was the third prime minister of South Korea.Jang held this position during the Korean War. He attended Edinburgh University in the U.K. earlier in his life. Jang became head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade from August 15 - December 24,... (張澤相) |
1948 August 15 - 1948 December 24 |
| 2 | Yim Byeong-sik (林炳稷) | 1948 December 25 - 1951 April 15 | |
| 3 | Byeon Yeong-tae Byeon Yeong-tae Byeon Yeong-tae was a South Korean politician. He was the fifth prime minister of South Korea.-References:... (卞榮泰) |
1951 April 16 - 1955 July 28 | |
| Deputy | Jo Jeong-hwan (曺正煥) | 1955 July 29 - 1956 December 31 | |
| 4 | Jo Jeong-hwan (曺正煥) | 1956 December 31 - 1959 December 21 | |
| Probational | Choe Gyu-ha (崔圭夏) | 1959 December 22 - 1960 April 24 | |
| 2nd Republic Second Republic of South Korea The Second Republic of South Korea was the government of South Korea for eight months in 1960 and 1961. It succeeded the First Republic, but was followed by a military government under the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction.-Establishment:... |
5 | Heo Jeong Heo Jeong Heo Jeong was a Korean politician and independence activist. Heo was the sixth prime minister of South Korea during the Second Republic. He was also an acting prime minister during the First Republic... (許政) |
1960 April 25 - 1960 August 19 |
| 6 | Jeong Il-hyeong (鄭一亨) | 1960 August 23 - 1961 May 20 | |
| 3rd Republic Third Republic of South Korea The Third Republic of South Korea was the government of South Korea from 1963 to 1972. It was presented as a return to civilian rule after a period of rule by the military junta known as the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction which had overthrown the Second Republic of South Korea in 1961... |
7 | Gim Hong-il (金弘壹) | 1961 May 21 - 1961 July 21 |
| 8 | Song Yo-chan (宋堯讚) | 1961 July 22 - 1961 October 10 | |
| 9 | Choe Deok-sin Choe Deok-sin Choe Deok-sin was a South Korean Foreign Minister who later defected with his wife, Ryu Mi Yong, to North Korea.... (崔德新) |
1961 October 11 - 1963 March 15 | |
| 10 | Gim Yong-sik (金溶植) | 1963 March 16 - 1963 December 16 | |
| 11 | Jeong Il-gwon (丁一權) | 1963 December 17 - 1964 July 24 | |
| 12 | Lee Tong-Won (李東元) | 1964 July 25 - 1966 December | |
| 13 | Jeong Il-gwon (丁一權) | 1966 December - 1967 June 29 | |
| 14 | Choe Gyu-ha (崔圭夏) | 1967 June 30 - 1971 June 3 | |
| 15 | Gim Yong-sik (金溶植) | 1971 June 4 - 1973 December 2 | |
| 4th Republic Fourth Republic of South Korea The Fourth Republic was the government of South Korea between 1972 and 1981, regulated by the Yushin Constitution adopted in October 1972 and confirmed in a referendum on 21 November 1972. From 1972 to 1979, power was monopolized by Park Chung Hee and his Democratic Republican Party under the... |
16 | Gim Dong-jo (金東祚) | 1973 December 3 - 1975 December 18 |
| 17 | Bak Dong-jin (朴東鎭) | 1975 December 19 - 1980 September 1 | |
| 5th Republic Fifth Republic of South Korea The Fifth Republic of South Korea was the government of South Korea from 1979 to 1987, replacing the Fourth Republic of South Korea. Throughout this period, the government was controlled by Chun Doo-hwan, a military colleague of the assassinated president Park Chung-hee. This period saw extensive... |
18 | No Sin-yeong (盧信永) | 1980 September 2 - 1982 June 1 |
| 19 | Yi Beom-seok (李範錫) | 1982 June 2 - 1983 October 9 | |
| 20 | Yi Won-gyeong (李源京) | 1983 October 15 - 1986 August 26 | |
| 21 | Choe Gwang-su (崔侊洙) | 1986 August 26 - 1988 December 5 | |
| 6th Republic Sixth Republic of South Korea The Sixth Republic of South Korea is the country's present-day government. It began in 1987, with the transfer of power from the authoritarian Fifth Republic of Chun Doo-hwan.... |
22 | Choe Ho-jung (崔浩中) | 1988 December 5 - 1990 December 27 |
| 23 | Yi Sang-ok (李相玉) | 1990 December 27 - 1993 February 26 | |
| 24 | Han Seung-ju (韓昇洲) | 1993 February 26 - 1994 December 24 | |
| 25 | Gong Ro-myeong (孔魯明) | 1994 December 24 - 1996 November 7 | |
| 26 | Yu Jong-ha (柳宗夏) | 1996 November 7 - 1998 March 3 | |
| 27 | Bak Jeong-su (朴定洙) | 1988 March 3 - 1998 August 4 | |
| 28 | Hong Soon-young Hong Soon-young Hong Soon-young is a retired South Korean diplomat. He has served in several high-level posts, including as presidential aide for state affairs, Foreign Minister, and Minister of Unification, and has been ambassador to Russia , Germany , The People's Republic of China , Malaysia , and Pakistan... (洪淳瑛) |
1998 August 4 - 2000 January 14 | |
| 29 | Yi Jeong-bin (李廷彬) | 2000 January 14 - 2001 March 26 | |
| 30 | Han Seung-su (韓昇洙) | 2001 March 26 - 2002 February 4 | |
| 31 | Choe Seong-hong (崔成泓) | 2002 February 4 - 2003 February 27 | |
| 32 | Yun Yeong-gwan Yoon Young Kwan Yoon, Young-Kwan is a South Korean academic. He is currently a professor at Seoul National University's Department of International Relations and teaches courses on International Political Economy, Introduction to International Relations, and South-North Korean relations. He has been teaching at... (尹永寬) |
2003 February 27 - 2004 January 17 | |
| 33 | Ban Ki-moon Ban Ki-moon Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he... (潘基文) |
2004 January 17 - 2006 November 10 | |
| 34 | Song Min-sun (宋旻淳) | 2006 November 10 - 2008 February 29 | |
| 35 | Yu Myung-hwan Yu Myung-hwan Yu Myung-hwan is a South Korean diplomat, he was Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade from February 2008 to September.4 2010. His resignation was caused when his daughter was given a job in his department . He has previously held posts including Ambassador to Israel, Japan and the Philippines... (柳明桓) |
2008 February 29 - 2010 September 8 | |
| 36 | Kim Sung-hwan (金星煥) | 2010 October 8 - |