Ahn Ho-young

Ahn Ho-young built his diplomatic career around trade and economic law. He served at Korea's Geneva mission, directed multilateral trade work in the foreign ministry and economic cooperation in the finance ministry, and became deputy minister for trade. His education included Seoul National University and Georgetown, with further legal study. Before Washington he represented Korea to the European Union and Belgium and served as first vice foreign minister. ^{1, 2}

As ambassador from 2013 to 2017, Ahn presented South Korea's security concerns to American audiences as well as handling economic relations. At a July 2015 Washington forum alongside Japan's ambassador Kenichiro Sasae and American diplomat Sung Kim, he argued for sustained international pressure over North Korea's nuclear program and human rights abuses. He emphasized China's influence and urged attention to the UN inquiry into North Korean repression. Asked about THAAD missile defense, he stated that Washington had not then requested deployment. ³

After leaving the embassy, Ahn became president of the University of North Korean Studies from 2018 to 2022 and subsequently chair professor of North Korean studies at Kyungnam University. ²