The Foreign Ministry on Friday appointed new ambassadors to 23 countries including the U.K., Australia, Italy and Vietnam.

Lim Sung-nam, a former special representative for Korean peninsular peace and security affairs in charge of the six-nation talks for the denuclearization of North Korea, is picked as ambassador to Britain.

Former Chief of Protocol Bae Jae-hyun and former ambassador for climate change Son Sung-hwan will be stationed in Rome and Stockholm, respectively.

Kim Bong-hyun, a former deputy foreign minister for multilateral and global affairs, was named for Australia, while Kwon Hae-ryong, ambassador and deputy representative for the U.N. secretariat and international organizations in Geneva, was tapped to lead the mission in the United Arab Emirates.

In Asia, the ministry named Jun Dae-joo, head of the National Unification Advisory Council’s Vietnam panel, to Vietnam; Kim Soo-kwon, former director-general for the Korean Peninsula peace regime bureau to Laos; and Suh Chung-ha, ambassador for international relations to Seoul City to Singapore.

Other ambassador nominees include Park Hae-yun, former director-general for South Asian and Pacific affairs (Ireland); Chang Dong-hee, ambassador for geographic naming at the Northeast Asian History Foundation (Finland); Moon Ha-yong, ambassador for overseas Koreans, consular affairs and counterterrorism (Czech Republic); Lee Wook-heon, former director-general for European affairs (Uzbekistan); Song Jong-hwan, visiting professor in North Korea studies at Myongji University (Pakistan); Cha Young-cheol, former deputy director-general for South Asian and Pacific affairs (Afghanistan); Kim Byong-seop, director-general of the Department of International Economy and Trade Studies at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy (El Salvador); Kim Dae-sik, former deputy director-general for European affairs (Oman); Suh Hyung-won, minister at the Korean Embassy in Japan (Croatia); Cho Byoung-lip, ambassador for international relations to South Chungcheong Province (Panama); Choe Cheol-kyu, deputy director-general for bilateral trade (Gabon); Kim Doo-sik, former minister-counsellor at the Korean Embassy in Peru (Nicaragua); Kang Hee-yoon, minister at the Korean Embassy in India (Mozambique); and Yang Joong-mo, deputy director-general for European affairs (Belarus).

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)