Ro Jae-hun, the eldest son of former President Roh Tae-woo, has been formally appointed as South Korea’s new ambassador to China, around two weeks before the highly anticipated visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to South Korea.
The Foreign Ministry in Seoul announced Thursday the appointment of Ro, who has long been engaged in developing ties between Seoul and Beijing, including as founder and president of the East Asia Culture Center since 2012.
Ro’s assumption of the post comes at a critical juncture. Xi is set to visit South Korea on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which will be held from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1 in the historic city of Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province.
Ro is expected to focus on discussing the schedule and format of Xi’s visit, which would mark his first trip to South Korea in more than 11 years. Another key task will be coordinating the summit between President Lee Jae Myung and Xi, to be held on the sidelines of the APEC summit.
Ro underscored that Xi’s planned state visit “would serve as a valuable opportunity for Korea-China relations to take a new leap forward,” when asked about Xi’s visit by reporters upon his arrival at Beijing Capital International Airport on Thursday afternoon.
Ro further emphasized it would “reaffirm and solidify the friendly and trusting relationship between the leaders of the two countries and, on that foundation, serve as an important opportunity to advance Korea-China relations.”
On ways to mitigate risks and ramifications stemming from the growing US-China rivalry in the trade sector, Ro said the "embassy is prepared to make every effort to ensure the security of supply chains, particularly in rare earths, which remains one of the most challenging areas for Korean companies."
The ambassadorial post had been vacant for about nine months. Former Ambassador Chung Jae-ho voluntarily stepped down in January, midway through his term, following disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s botched martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024.
The Lee administration’s selection of Ro has drawn attention for its historical symbolism and Seoul’s intent to further develop ties with China, given the “Northern Diplomacy” initiative pursued by his father.
During the Roh administration, South Korea and China formally established diplomatic relations in 1992 under the flagship Northern Diplomacy policy, which sought to forge ties with communist countries, including China and the Soviet Union.
Ro, too, has long dedicated his career to advancing bilateral ties between South Korea and China. In 2012, he founded the East Asia Culture Center, which has since contributed to promoting cultural and diplomatic exchanges between Seoul and Beijing.
The newly appointed ambassador was part of President Lee’s special delegation, led by former National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug, that was dispatched to Beijing in August to deliver a personal letter from Lee to Xi and meet with high-ranking Chinese officials.
Ro also served as a foreign adviser to the city government of Chengdu in China's Sichuan province from 2016 until October this year. From 2021 to 2022, he chaired the Social and Cultural Subcommittee of the Future Development Committee for Korea-China Relations under the Moon Jae-in administration, contributing to expanding the foundation for private-sector cooperation.
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com
