Cho Tae-yul (Korean조태열; born 10 November 1955) is a South Korean diplomat. He is the 41st Foreign Minister.[1]

Cho Tae-yul
조태열
Cho in 2024
41st Minister of Foreign Affairs
Assumed office
9 January 2024
PresidentYoon Suk Yeol
Prime MinisterHan Duck-soo
Preceded byPark Jin
Personal details
Born (1955-11-09) 9 November 1955 (age 69)
Yeongyang, North Gyeongsang Province
Political partyIndependent
Parent
Alma materSeoul National University
Korean name
Hangul
조태열
Hanja
趙兌烈
Revised RomanizationJo Taeyeol
McCune–ReischauerCho T'aeyŏl

Career

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Since starting his career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1979, Cho has gained a lot of experience on the international stage. He served as a diplomat in Thailand, the United States, and Saudi Arabia in the 1990s. And he served as the ambassador to Spain in 2008, and South Korean ambassador to the United Nations from 2016 to 2019 and the second vice foreign minister from 2013 to 2016 during the Park Geun-hye government.[2] He also served as the chairman of the World Trade Organization Dispute Committee and the chairman of the Geneva Government Procurement Committee.[1]

Foreign minister

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Minister Cho and Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, September 2024

On December 19, 2023, President Yoon Suk Yeol appointed Cho Tae-yul as the nominee for Foreign Minister to succeed former Minister Park Jin.[1] The presidential office said that his diplomatic insight and experience will greatly contribute to resolving various diplomatic issues facing the country.[2]

Cho and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a telephone conversation in February 2024 to discuss issues of mutual interest, including a wide range of aspects of bilateral relations, such as high-level exchanges and supply chain cooperation.[3]

In September 2024, he said at the General Debate of the 79th UN General Assembly that amid conflicts including Russia's war in Ukraine and Israel–Hamas war, skepticism about the role of the fragmented the United Nations and other multilateral mechanisms has deepened. He also cited the AI Seoul Summit as an example, saying that South Korea would play the role of a facilitator, supporter, and initiator of global peace for new norms and governance.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Impact Player: Cho Tae-yul". CSIS. December 20, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Ex-top envoy to U.N. tapped as top diplomat". Yonhap News Agency. December 19, 2023.
  3. ^ "China invites S. Korean top diplomat, calls for 'positive, objective' policy". The Korea Herald. February 7, 2024.
  4. ^ "FM champions multilateralism, stresses S. Korea's vision as 'global pivotal state'". Yonhap News Agency. September 28, 2024.
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Foreign Affairs
2024–
Succeeded by