KEI Contributor

Ambassador Taeyong Cho was appointed as Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the United States by President Yoon Suk Yeol and arrived in Washington, DC in June 2022.

Prior to his appointment to the United States, Ambassador Cho was a member of the 21st National Assembly and a member of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee and Intelligence Committee. He also held many leadership positions within the People Power Party, including as an Executive Member of the party’s Special Committee on Foreign Affairs and Security, Chair of the International Committee, and Vice Chair of the Policy Committee.

As a career diplomat, Ambassador Cho served in many senior positions since joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1980.  He served as the 1st Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and the 1st Deputy Director to the President at the Office of National Security under the Park Geun-hye.

Ambassador Cho has particularly served in multiple U.S.-related positions, including as the Director-General and Deputy Director-General of the North American Affairs Bureau. He also served as the Director-General of the North Korean Nuclear Affairs Bureau, South Korea’s vice representative during the 2005 six-party talks and as the Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs (2013). His overseas posts include serving as South Korea’s ambassador to Ireland (2007-2009) and Australia (2011-2013).

Outside of his public service, Ambassador Cho was a Visiting Scholar at Keio University and a Visiting Professor at Yonsei University Graduate School of International Studies.

Ambassador Cho graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in political science and completed the Foreign Service Programme at the University of Oxford.