Inauguration Speech

41st Minister of Foreign Affairs

Cho Tae-yul

My fellow Foreign Ministry colleagues,

Members of our overseas missions and families,

It is with a renewed sense of purpose and excitement that I stand before you again, four years after my departure from the Foreign Ministry.

I would like to start by saying that I am grateful and sorry for the long evening and weekend hours the vast majority of the headquarters staff had to put in over the past few weeks to prepare for my parliamentary confirmation hearing and inauguration.

I also convey my respects and gratitude to former Minister Park Jin not only for completing the framework of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s Global Pivotal State vision, establishing a strategy for realizing that vision and creating an external environment conducive to pursuing that strategy, but also for putting the ROK-US alliance, ROK-Japan and ROK-US-Japan cooperation -- the centerpiece of our diplomacy -- on a robust foundation.

Dear colleagues,

We are in the midst of great geopolitical change, with the international order experiencing tectonic shifts.

The U.S.-China strategic competition and the War in Ukraine are shaking the rules-based international order that has underpinned post-war peace and prosperity.

Indeed, the world is becoming a jungle defined by the logic of power.

In the new geopolitical environment, where security, economics, and technology are intertwined, the deepening confrontation between liberal and authoritarian states has made it all but impossible to pursue diplomacy delinking economics from security, and vice versa.

As a result, it has become structurally difficult to pursue practical interests while giving short shrift to values.

This is why the weight of my duties as Foreign Minister and your responsibilities in the front lines of diplomacy are by no means light.

It is time to reflect deeply on where to set our coordinates, in which direction to go and how to move forward.

As the Roman proverb goes, “The wise man prepares for the future as if it were the present.”

We must always set our sights on the future as we find a better path forward.

With this in mind, as the new Minister, I intend to revamp our diplomatic capacity by focusing on the following three areas.

First, diplomacy strengthening the interlinkage between economy and security.

In line with an era in which the barriers between economics and security are being broken down by the U.S.-China competition for technological primacy, I intend to enhance our ability to strengthen interlinkage between economy and security and promote a work system and organizational culture that enable such fusion.

I have long been exhorting my colleagues in the Foreign Ministry not to become “cherry-picking” diplomats.

A longstanding mindset within the Foreign Ministry and its work system that placed a premium on political affairs, as well as the culture of compartmentalization between political and economic bureaus, were often the main factors that inhibited holistic and strategic judgment on foreign policy issues.

They also made it difficult for the government to balance the economy and security as well as the domestic and international, in the process of making major foreign policy decisions.

Political staff need to think about the economic implications of their work, while economic staff should contemplate the political import of what they do.

A convergent policy-making process based on collaboration and deliberation among the political and economic units should precede the Minister's decision-making.

In particular, as the recently-established Center for Economic Security and Foreign Affairs and the International Technology Rules and Cooperation Division will assume increasingly important roles, they should also consider the political implications of the papers they produce and the work that they do, and be at the vanguard of our foreign policy decisions.

I would also encourage each of you to be attentive to balancing political and economic portfolios as you design your career paths.

As Minister, I will work with the Office of Planning and Coordination to look at ways to institutionalize such career balance through incentives for Foreign Ministry employees.

I myself will actively work to ensure that such convergent economic and security thinking is reflected at the highest levels of decision-making, including the cabinet meeting, NSC, and economic ministers’ meeting for external affairs.

Second, diplomacy fit for the G7 plus era.

Bearing in mind the possibility of Korea joining the G7 plus in the not-too-distant future, I will strive to solidify Korea’s position as a candidate for the G7 plus during my tenure by racking up tangible achievements in realizing the vision of a Global Pivotal State.

Korea is already being recognized in the international community as a true advanced country and being called upon to play a role befitting a country of its stature.

The fact that Korea has been frequently mentioned in recent years as a G7 plus candidate in the media and academia both at home and abroad, is likely an acknowledgement of our ability and readiness to step up.

As we prepare for the G7 plus era, our non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, which began this year, offers both a great opportunity to make meaningful contributions in the domain of international peace and security, and a test of whether we can rally the nation to furnish the human and material resources to this end.

I, as Minister, will be the first to check whether our foreign policy is in line with that of the G7, the epitome of liberal democracies and market economies, and does justice to our membership in the Security Council, the guardian and exponent of international security and peace.

I urge you to think in a similar vein as you perform your duties.

Do not hesitate to be bold and innovative as you revisit familiar tasks.

Third, diplomacy that reassures our people and supports their wellbeing.

Whether it is about protecting the security of our people from North Korea's nuclear threats or enabling them to feel safe in traveling freely around the world or helping our youth to pursue their future dreams beyond our borders; whether it is about actively supporting our businesses to tap into global markets and overcome challenges including from climate change, pandemics, and supply chain disruptions, or leading the way in setting the rules to meet the changing international economic order: these are all about serving the interests of our people.

Healing the wounds of the past, broadening consensus about diplomacy guided by the future vision of a unified Korea, and spreading national pride in our cultural soft power: these too are all about serving the interests of our people.

Let us not forget that diplomacy is about serving the people.

Let us shed antiquated occupational notions associated with the term “diplomat.”

As Minister, I will be the first to do so.

Just as I visited the Chairman of the Venture Business Association shortly after taking office as Vice Minister 11 years ago, I will actively engage in diplomacy that looks after the interests of our people.

Likewise, I ask all of you to think hard about how your work is connected to reassuring the people and serving their interests, and to muster our collective wisdom so as to translate such thinking into actual foreign policy.

It is said that the future value of a company is dependent on the sense of pride and drive of its employees.

Compared to 30 or 40 years ago when I was a junior diplomat, I am told that the Foreign Service today is not only more diverse in its human composition and generational makeup, but also in terms of the values that individuals pursue.

As Minister, I will respect this change and diversity.

I will pay special attention to cultivating a harmonious workplace culture under which diplomats can be proud and driven.

I ask you to be bold in doing away with unnecessary tasks.

Please endeavor to communicate smoothly and work efficiently and productively.

Let us promote a workplace culture of warm embrace and mutual support for our coworkers and “be strict with ourselves and lenient with others.”

I am told that the number of young employees quitting the Ministry is increasing.

As Minister, I find this saddening.

I will pay greater attention to lifting the sense of achievement and transforming our organizational culture.

As this is something that all members, including senior staff, must work together to cultivate, I, as the minister, will take the lead and take stock of the results of these efforts.

I will also do my best to expand our workforce so as to ease the burden of oversaturation and build an organization that is well staffed.

As a captain in the same boat at a critical time, I will share wisdom and engage with you so that a rewarding workplace can go hand in glove with happiness at home.

The darker and shadier the place, the more I will look.

Let us all band together as one in the service of our nation’s future.

Thank you.

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