Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the USA

1. Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se hosted a farewell dinner for Sung Kim, outgoing Ambassador of the United States to the Republic of Korea, at his official residence on August 5 and conferred on him the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit (Gwanghwa Medal) on the behalf of President Park Geun-hye. 

2. The ROK government presented the order of merit to Ambassador Kim in recognition of his great contribution to the ROK-US ties since his taking up the post in October 2011. He played a role in the three rounds of bilateral summit talks, President Park Geun-hye’s visit to the US in 2013 and President Barack Obama’s visit to the ROK earlier this year. 

◦ Furthermore, Ambassador Kim, the first-ever US Ambassador of Korean descent, actively carried out outreach activities by delivering speeches at local schools, running his personal blog and twitter account and appearing in TV shows. Through such activities, he actively engaged in exchanges with the Korean public, thereby contributing to expanding the foundation of the ROK-US ties. 


                Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA 

* unofficial translation