Former Chief Economic Secretary An Il-hwan Appointed OECD Ambassador Two Months After Resignation

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 4th that it has appointed former Blue House Senior Secretary for Economic Affairs An Il-hwan as ambassador to the Permanent Delegation to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Former Senior Secretary An entered public service through the 32nd Administrative Examination and is an economic bureaucrat who has served as spokesperson for the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, Budget General Review Officer, Social Budget Review Officer, Director of the Budget Office, and Second Vice Minister. He was appointed as the Blue House Senior Secretary for Economic Affairs in March last year but was replaced in November of the same year. About two months after resigning from the Senior Secretary position, he was reappointed as head of an overseas diplomatic mission. At the time of the replacement, some speculated that it was a disciplinary replacement because former Senior Secretary An was the head of the Blue House 'AdBlue Response Task Force (TF),' but a senior Blue House official stated that he resigned due to 'health reasons.'

Former Senior Secretary An was appointed as a special envoy who is not a current diplomat but a figure from various fields such as politicians, high-ranking public officials, and scholars. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official told reporters on the day, "As an expert in economy, finance, and trade, he will play a role in promoting national interests through his assignment to the OECD."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs appointed Kim Young-wan, Foreign and Security Policy Officer of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, as Consul General in Los Angeles; Seo Eun-ji, Head of the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting Preparation Planning Group, as Consul General in Seattle; and Kim Jeong-han, Personnel Planning Officer of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as Consul General in Chicago. The Consul General positions in Los Angeles and Seattle had recently become vacant. In Seattle, former Consul General Kwon Won-jik was recalled early last month after being investigated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over allegations of inappropriate remarks to staff, and in Los Angeles, former Consul General Park Kyung-jae was recalled on the 1st of this month due to personal reasons.

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