Concerns rise as key ambassadorial posts remain vacant

France, Australia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Pakistan, New Zealand, Switzerland and UNESCO all share a distinction: none currently has a Korean ambassador or consul general in post. The vacancies are part of a broader diplomatic gap that has widened since President Lee Jae Myung’s inauguration in June 2025. More than 15 senior career diplomats had held no titles for over three months according to a March 25 local report. Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, a member of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, said 23 ambassadorial posts were vacant as of April 15. As of April 20, The Korea Times confirmed that key missions — including France, Australia and the UAE among Korea’s 173 overseas diplomatic posts — remain without chiefs, as do consul general offices in major cities such as New York, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Analysts and former diplomats point out that the prolonged vacancies are creating a diplomatic vacuum and weakening consular support for Korean nationals abroad, concerns that have sharpened as the Middle East crisis deepens. The Ministry of Foreign Affair

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