Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06SEOUL631
2006-02-27 08:53:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Seoul
Cable title:  

NEW ROK REPRESENTATIVE TO SOFA JOINT COMMITTEE

Tags:  MARR MASS PREL KS 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0005
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHUL #0631/01 0580853
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 270853Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY SEOUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6196
INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//OSD/ISA/EAP// PRIORITY
RHMFISS/COMUSKOREA J2 SEOUL KOR PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/COMUSKOREA J3 SEOUL KOR PRIORITY
RHMFISS/COMUSKOREA J5 SEOUL KOR PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/COMUSKOREA SCJS SEOUL KOR PRIORITY
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
UNCLAS SEOUL 000631 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: MARR MASS PREL KS
SUBJECT: NEW ROK REPRESENTATIVE TO SOFA JOINT COMMITTEE

UNCLAS SEOUL 000631

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: MARR MASS PREL KS
SUBJECT: NEW ROK REPRESENTATIVE TO SOFA JOINT COMMITTEE


1. (U) Embassy received February 27 a diplomatic note
announcing the appointment of Cho Taeyong, the new DG for
North American Affairs Bureau, to be the new ROK
representative to the SOFA Joint Committee. Full text of the
note and DG Cho's bio follows.


2. (U) Begin Text:

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Republic of Korea

February 24, 2006

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of
Korea presents its compliments to the Embassy of the United
States of America and has the honor to inform the latter that
the Korean Government has appointed Mr. Taeyong Cho as the
new Representative to the Joint Committee established under
provisions of Article XXVIII of the Agreement under the
Article IV of the Mutual Defense Treaty between the Republic
of the Korea and the United States of America, regarding
Facilities and Areas and the Status of the United States
Armed Forces in the Republic of Korea.

Mr. Cho replaces Mr. Kim Sook as Director-General, North
American Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Trade. The appointment of Mr. Taeyong Cho is effective from
February 10th, 2006. His curriculum vitae is enclosed
herewith.

The Ministry avails itself of this opportunity to renew to
the Embassy of the United States of America the assurances of
its highest consideration.

End Text.


3. (U) Begin Text:

Director General Taeyong Cho

North American Affairs Bureau
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
(As of February 2006)

Mr. Taeyong Cho assumed the position of Director-General of
the North American Affairs Bureau in the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea in February 2006.
As Director-General, his areas of responsibility are ROK-US
and ROK-Canada bilateral relations, including political,
economic, and security affairs. Concurrently, he is also the
ROK Representative to the bilateral talks with the United
States on burden-sharing issues regarding the US Forces in
Korea, which are formally called as the "Talks on the Special
Measures Agreement to the Status of the Forces Agreement
between the Republic of Korea and the United States of
America."

Before assuming the current position, Mr. Cho was engaged in
the Six Party process as a Director-General since February
2004, taking part in the policy-and-decision-making of the
ROK Government on the North Korea nuclear issue. He served
as the Deputy Head of the ROK delegation to the Six Party
Talks.

Mr. Cho joined the Foreign Service in 1980. At home, he
served various positions handling North American Affairs. He
served as the Director of North America Division II between
1997-1998, Director of North America Division I between
1998-2000, and Deputy Director-General of North America
Bureau from February 2002 to January 2003. Prior to working
in the Six Party Talk process, Mr. Cho was seconded to the
Office of the President as the Assistant Protocol Secretary
for a year, from April 2003.

For his overseas assignment, he served at the Permanent ROK
Mission to the United Nations in New York City as a Second
Secretary between 1984-1997, the Korean Embassy in Iraq as a

SIPDIS
First Secretary (1990-1991),the Korean Embassy in the United
States of America as a First Secretary (1994-1997),and the
Korean Embassy in the Kingdom of Thailand as a Counsellor
(1997-2000).

Mr. Taeyong Cho graduated from Seoul National University in
1979 with a BA in Political Science. After joining the
Foreign Service, he studied in the Foreign Service Program at
Oxford University in 1982-1983.
Mr. Cho is married and has three children.

End Text.
VERSHBOW