MOSCOW (Sputnik) — South Korean President Moon Jae-in appointed Woo Yoon-keun, the former secretary-general of the country's National Assembly, as South Korea's new ambassador to Russia, media reported.
Woo's nomination is the fourth consecutive diplomatic appointment since the escalation of the Korean Peninsula crisis, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing South Korea's presidential office. Prior to Woo, the South Korean president appointed new diplomatic mission chiefs to China, Japan and the United States, all of which are considered to be key players in the North Korean crisis.
According to the news outlet, Woo's designation comes one day before Moon's scheduled visit to Russia, where the South Korean leader will participate at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok.
The EEF, which will begin its two-day run on Wednesday, is expected to gather over 3,500 participants from more than 50 countries and will be attended by a number of world leaders. Apart from Russian President Vladimir Putin and his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will also take part in the forum.
