Kang Kyung-wha

Kang Kyung-wha was born in Seoul in 1955 and graduated from Yonsei University in 1977 before completing a doctorate in communication at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1984. Her early career included English broadcasting at KBS and teaching at Cleveland State University. She subsequently worked on international relations for the speaker of the National Assembly, advised and wrote speeches for the foreign minister, and interpreted for the Korean president. ^{1, 2}

Kang moved into multilateral diplomacy as director-general for international organizations at the Foreign Ministry. She became UN deputy high commissioner for human rights in 2007 and deputy emergency relief coordinator in 2013. She later led the transition team for incoming secretary-general António Guterres and served as his senior policy adviser. ^{1, 2}

In June 2017 Kang became South Korea's first female foreign minister. During her tenure, Moon Jae-in's government pursued reconciliation between the Koreas and the US–North Korea summit process, which stalled after the unsuccessful Hanoi meeting in 2019. She also managed relations with Japan during disputes over wartime history and trade. She left office in February 2021 and later led Asia Society in New York from April 2024 to September 2025. ^{3, 1}

President Lee Jae Myung appointed Kang ambassador to the United States on October 1, 2025, making her the first woman to hold the post. She began her assignment in early October, after the United States accepted an advance copy of her credentials, and accompanied Lee at his October 29 summit with Donald Trump in Gyeongju. She formally presented her credentials to Trump on December 16. ^{2, 4}

Her Washington work has included support for Korean defense companies seeking American business. At the Association of the United States Army exhibition in October 2026, she visited their displays and discussed their plans with company representatives. During a parliamentary audit that month, she also addressed difficulties in communication with the White House amid intelligence disputes and said agencies on both sides had made progress toward resolving them. ^{5, 6}