Cho Hyun-dong

Cho Hyun-dong joined the foreign ministry in 1985. Before becoming ambassador to the United States, he served as minister counselor in India, deputy chief of mission in Washington, representative of Korea's investment promotion office at UNIDO, deputy minister for planning and coordination, and first vice foreign minister. He also worked on public diplomacy: in a 2016 Korea Foundation interview he described plans to connect government agencies, private organizations, and citizens through the new Public Diplomacy Act. ^{1, 2}

Cho arrived in Washington in April 2023 shortly before President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit. His subsequent public diplomacy emphasized the economic and technological dimensions of the alliance. At the Hudson Institute in October 2024 he advocated closer cooperation in defense industries, including shipbuilding, and said the partners would need time to build trust and produce tangible results. He also called for consultation with NATO partners over reports of North Korean troops supporting Russia. ^{3, 4}

After Donald Trump's 2024 election victory, Seoul sent Cho to Mar-a-Lago to establish contact with the incoming president's circle. He was expected to meet advisers to the incoming president. Cho's Washington service ended in July 2025, when the embassy's minister, Lee Joon-ho, took over temporarily. ^{5, 6}