ISTANBUL

South Korea’s former Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Wednesday was officially appointed as South Korea's ambassador to the US, making her Seoul's first female envoy to Washington, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Kang, who served as South Korea's top diplomat from 2017 to 2021 under then-President Moon Jae-in, is the first ambassador to the US under the Lee Jae Myung administration, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.

She became South Korea's first female ambassador to the US, following her role as the nation's first female foreign minister. She served as the country’s chief diplomat during the 2018-19 North Korea-US summit diplomacy under the first term of US President Donald Trump.

Kang is expected to oversee coordination for Trump's upcoming trip to South Korea for the APEC summit that will take place between Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, as well as summit talks with President Lee.

As Seoul's top envoy, she will also tackle key diplomatic challenges, such as US tariff negotiations and Washington's push to modernize the alliance.

In July, Seoul and Washington agreed in principle to a deal under which the US reduced tariffs on imports from South Korea from 25% to 15% in exchange for Seoul’s commitment to invest $350 billion in the US.

But the two sides remain deadlocked on how the investment fund will be structured. Without a deal, South Korean imports could again face a 25% tariff.

Kang has extensive experience at the UN, particularly in human rights, including roles as deputy high commissioner for human rights in 2007 and deputy emergency relief coordinator for humanitarian affairs in 2013.