Seoul’s new foreign minister faces manifold challenges

Significance

Her successor is Chung Eui-yong, President Moon Jae-in’s former national security advisor. At his swearing-in yesterday, Chung called peace with Pyongyang “a must-go path”. At his confirmation hearing on February 5, he insisted that Kim Jong-un “still has the intention to denuclearise”. Moon’s term ends in May 2022, giving Chung little time.

Impacts

• The crisis over Iran’s seizure of a South Korean ship looks close to resolution.
• Chung’s and Moon’s focus on Pyongyang will devour energies that could have been spent on cementing Seoul’s global status.
• Long an enthusiast for free trade agreements (FTAs), which have bipartisan support, Seoul is readying to join the region’s two mega-FTAs.