Cho Tae-yul (Korean: 조태열; born 10 November 1955) is a South Korean diplomat. He is the 41st Foreign Minister.[1]
Career
Since starting his career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1979, Cho has gained a lot of experience on the international stage. He served as a diplomat in Thailand, the United States, and Saudi Arabia in the 1990s. And he served as the ambassador to Spain in 2008, and South Korean ambassador to the United Nations from 2016 to 2019 and the second vice foreign minister from 2013 to 2016 during the Park Geun-hye government.[2] He also served as the chairman of the World Trade Organization Dispute Committee and the chairman of the Geneva Government Procurement Committee.[1]
Foreign minister
On December 19, 2023, President Yoon Suk Yeol appointed Cho Tae-yul as the nominee for Foreign Minister to succeed former Minister Park Jin.[1] The presidential office said that his diplomatic insight and experience will greatly contribute to resolving various diplomatic issues facing the country.[2]
Cho and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a telephone conversation in February 2024 to discuss issues of mutual interest, including a wide range of aspects of bilateral relations, such as high-level exchanges and supply chain cooperation.[3]