S. Korea appoints first female foreign minister

This article is more than 12 months old

Jun 19, 2017 06:00 am

SEOUL South Korean President Moon Jae In yesterday appointed a veteran diplomat as the country's first female foreign minister, tasked with easing tensions over North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

Ms Kang Kyung Hwa, 62, served as Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights and Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs before becoming a senior policy advisor to UN chief Antonio Guterres this year.

Her appointment comes less than two weeks before Mr Moon's first trip to the US for a summit with President Donald Trump as fears grow over Pyongyang's weapons programme. The isolated regime has staged a series of missile launches this year, defying global pressure and triggering tightened UN sanctions. - AFP