Kang Kyung-wha, the first female South Korean Ambassador to the U.S., to assume post soon after receiving agrément

[Financial News] Former Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will soon assume her post as the South Korean Ambassador to the U.S. after completing the U.S. government's diplomatic consent procedure. Upon her appointment, she will become the first female South Korean Ambassador to the U.S. The Presidential Office had already designated former Minister Kang as the South Korean Ambassador to the U.S. last month in preparation for the South Korea-U.S. summit, but it took nearly a month to receive the U.S. government's agrément. Nevertheless, former Minister Kang accompanied President Lee Jae-myung's first visit to the U.S. at the end of August as a special entourage for the White House summit. Agrément is an international customary procedure where the receiving country is consulted and agrees on whether to accept a specific individual as a diplomatic envoy before their appointment.
Wi Sung-rak, Director of the National Security Office, said at a meeting of the Korean Newspaper and Broadcasting Editors Association held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 17th, "The agrément for Ambassador Kang has been issued," in response to the criticism that "the agrément procedure for former Minister Kang is being delayed." Agrément signifies the host country's consent to a diplomatic envoy. The issuance of the agrément means that the diplomatic procedures necessary for former Minister Kang's ambassadorial appointment have been completed.
With the completion of the agrément procedure, former Minister Kang will soon commence her official ambassadorial duties. President Lee Jae-myung is expected to be accompanied by her during his visit to the U.S. for the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on the 23rd. 
The position of South Korean Ambassador to the U.S. has remained vacant for the past two months. During this vacancy, the South Korea-U.S. summit, South Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations, and negotiations over the detention of 316 Koreans in Georgia have continued. The Presidential Office had already designated former Minister Kang as the South Korean Ambassador to the U.S. last month in preparation for the South Korea-U.S. summit, but it took nearly a month to receive the U.S. government's agrément. Nevertheless, former Minister Kang accompanied President Lee Jae-myung's first visit to the U.S. at the end of August as a special entourage for the White House summit.
She served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2017 to 2021 during the Moon Jae-in administration. She has extensive diplomatic experience with the U.S. and is familiar with relations with former U.S. President Donald Trump, receiving evaluations that she fits well with the "Trump style." Former Minister Kang has also served as a Special Advisor on Policy to the UN Secretary-General and as a Minister at the South Korean Mission to the UN. She was also involved in the North Korean nuclear issue during the Moon Jae-in administration.
Former Minister Kang currently serves as the Chair of the Asia Society, headquartered in New York, U.S. The Asia Society is a non-profit, non-political international organization established by American billionaire John D. Rockefeller III to promote mutual understanding between the U.S. and Asia. With the completion of the agrément procedure, former Minister Kang will soon commence her official ambassadorial duties. 
rainman@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-soo Reporter