For South Korea’s newly elected presidents, ambassadorship has long been an ideal gift to bestow on friends and loyalists. Unlike other top government posts, ambassadorial positions do not require tough parliamentary confirmation hearings or extensive public scrutiny. This made them convenient rewards in the past, when military dictators handed out ambassadorships to fellow generals who supported their coups or autocracies. In more recent years, presidents have given these posts to politicians and professors who supported their election campaigns.

The latest example is President Lee Jae Myung’s appointment of his former bar-exam classmate as ambassador to the United Nations. The new envoy, Cha Ji-hoon, has no diplomatic background but received one of Korea’s most important posts largely because they trained together after passing the bar.

📰

Continue Reading on The Korea Herald

This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.

Read Full Article →