First Overseas Missions Chiefs Meeting Under Lee Administration to Be Held in Late November... First in 2 Years and 7 Months

The first Overseas Diplomatic Missions Chiefs Meeting since the inauguration of the Lee Jaemyung administration is scheduled to take place in late November. This marks the first such meeting in approximately two years and seven months, following the aftermath of the December 3 illegal martial law and regime change.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, Dorim-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Yonhap News Agency

According to diplomatic sources on September 8, around 180 ambassadors stationed around the world, including ambassadors to international organizations, will gather in Seoul in late November for the “2026 Overseas Missions Chiefs Meeting,” which will last about a week. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has begun practical preparations and is reportedly planning to notify each mission of the schedule soon.

According to relevant regulations, the Overseas Missions Chiefs Meeting is to be held “regularly once a year.” However, since the last meeting in April 2024, there has been no meeting for more than two years due to the outbreak of the illegal martial law incident and the following period of turmoil, including regime change. After the inauguration of the new government, the need for the meeting was raised, but delays in the appointment of mission chiefs left many positions vacant, and some questioned its effectiveness.

However, multiple diplomats explain that the Overseas Missions Chiefs Meeting has significance beyond its regular conduct, as it serves as virtually the only opportunity for ambassadors working abroad to share the government's diplomatic direction and communicate face-to-face with headquarters. The outcome of the meeting is also reported to the President and the Prime Minister.

In particular, President Lee Jaemyung has emphasized since the beginning of his term that the role of overseas missions must be enhanced as a “K-Initiative Platform,” compared to previous administrations. This is also included as part of the government’s key policy tasks. Meanwhile, complex international and domestic diplomatic issues such as the Middle East crisis, the Hormuz deployment issue, the Russia-Ukraine war, and inter-Korean relations remain unresolved.

However, even in the 16th month of the administration, there are still 14 ambassadorial posts that remain vacant, leading to calls for faster action to address this backlog in appointments.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.