Dec 11, 2025 – President Lee Jae Myung receives credentials from eight new ambassadors, including India and Austria, in the third credential ceremony since his June inauguration and urges them to act as “bridges” for expanding economic, cultural and people‑to‑people exchanges [18].

Dec 16, 2025 – Ambassador Ro Jae‑hun, South Korea’s first envoy to Beijing, calls for deeper communication and exchanges with China at a State Council Information Office reception, citing President Lee’s recent summit with President Xi on the APEC sidelines as a positive development [16].

Dec 16, 2025 – Former foreign minister Kang Kyung‑wha presents her credentials to U.S. President Donald Trump, formally assuming the role of Seoul’s ambassador to Washington after taking up the post on Oct. 4 and accompanying President Lee to the Oct. 29 APEC summit in Gyeongju [17].

Dec 16, 2025 – Veteran diplomat Yoon Soon‑gu is appointed South Korea’s ambassador to Indonesia, bringing experience as former ambassador to Egypt and Belgium and as deputy foreign minister for political affairs (2017‑2019) to the Jakarta posting [15].

Dec 29, 2025 – President Lee’s chief of staff Kang Hoon‑sik departs on a secretive diplomatic mission described as a strategic economic‑cooperation envoy aimed at boosting defense exports, with the office announcing three similar missions through the first half of 2026 [14].

Jan 7, 2026 – People Power Party leader Jang Dong‑hyeok apologizes for former President Yoon Suk‑yeol’s failed martial‑law bid, while the KOSPI briefly tops 4,600 on a chip rally, Hyundai Motor’s chair meets Nvidia’s Jensen Huang at CES to discuss autonomous‑driving collaboration, Samsung Display and Intel unveil an OLED SmartPower HDR technology that cuts laptop power use by up to 22 %, and the Ministry of Economy and Finance announces a 200 billion‑won fund for under‑developed regions in 2026 [12].

Jan 7, 2026 – Acting U.S. Ambassador Kevin Kim leaves Seoul and returns to the United States after roughly two months as charge d’affaires; deputy chief of mission Jim Heller will serve as interim charge d’affaires and sources suggest Kim may take a Korea‑focused role in Washington [10][13].

Jan 16, 2026 – The foreign ministry names retired Air Force chief Park In‑ho as South Korea’s ambassador to Israel, highlighting his 2021‑2022 air‑force leadership and joint‑chiefs‑staff experience as qualifications for the diplomatic posting [9].

Jan 26, 2026 – Former foreign minister and diplomat Gong Ro‑myung dies at 94; he negotiated the 1990 establishment of South Korea‑Soviet diplomatic relations, served as the first ambassador to Moscow, later as ambassador to Japan (1993‑94), and as foreign minister (1994‑96) [8].

Jan 27, 2026 – Chinese Ambassador Dai Bing posts condolences on X for the death of former South Korean prime minister Lee Hae‑chan, who died in Vietnam on Jan. 26 while on a diplomatic visit; the message recalls Lee’s twice‑served role as presidential special envoy to China and his legacy as a pro‑democracy figure [7].

Jan 30, 2026 – Former justice minister Kang Kum‑sil becomes South Korea’s special climate ambassador for a one‑year term, tasked with representing the government at international climate events and drawing on her prior experience as a climate envoy for Gyeonggi province and as Democratic Party election‑policy chief [6].

Feb 1, 2026 – President Lee appoints Democratic Party lawmakers Boo Seung‑chan and Lee Hoon‑ki as special envoys to Honduras, sending them to meet newly inaugurated President Nasry Asfura, deliver a personal letter, discuss bilateral cooperation, and engage the Korean community and businesses in the country [5].

Feb 2, 2026 – President Lee names former IMF executive director Huh Chang as second vice finance minister, tasking him with overseeing foreign‑exchange rates and trade policy, while appointing Oh Tae‑seog as head of the Korea Aerospace Administration, leveraging his prior role as first vice minister of science and ICT and his oversight of the Nuri launch‑vehicle program [3][4].

Feb 5, 2026 – South Korean envoys Boo Seung‑chan and Lee Hoon‑ki deliver President Lee’s personal letter to Honduran President Nasry Asfura, discuss health‑system shortages and propose joint projects through Korea’s development fund, while President Lula da Silva accepts President Lee’s invitation to a state visit to South Korea—a trip first discussed at the G7 in Canada (June 2025) and formally invited at the G20 in Johannesburg (Nov 2025), with the date still under consultation and Brazil remaining Seoul’s top South American trade partner [2][1].