Minister of Foreign Affairs (South Korea)
South Korean government position
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The Minister of Foreign Affairs (Korean: 외교부장관; RR: Oegyobujanggwan) is the leader and chief executive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The minister is responsible for implementing South Korea's foreign policy.
Member ofState Council of South Korea
Reports toPresident of South Korea
AppointerPresident
FormationAugust 25, 1948
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
|---|---|
Emblem of the Government of Republic of Korea | |
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs | |
| Member of | State Council of South Korea |
| Reports to | President of South Korea |
| Appointer | President |
| Formation | August 25, 1948 |
| Deputy | Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs |
The current minister for foreign affairs is Cho Hyun, who took office in July 2025.[1]
List of ministers of foreign affairs
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office[2] | President | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| 1 |  |
Jang Taek-sang 장택상 (1893–1969) |
15 August 1948 | 24 December 1948 | 131 days |  Syngman Rhee |
| 2 |  |
Lim Byeong-jik 임병직 (1893–1976) |
25 December 1948 | 15 April 1951 | 2 years, 111 days | |
| 3 |  |
Byun Young-tae 변영태 (1892–1969) |
16 April 1951 | 28 July 1955 | 4 years, 103 days | |
| 4 |  |
Cho Chung-whan 조정환 (1893–1976) |
28 July 1955 | 21 December 1959 | 4 years, 146 days | |
| — |  |
Choi Kyu-hah 최규하 (1919–2006) |
22 December 1959 | 24 April 1960 | 124 days | |
| 5 |  |
Ho Chong 허정 (1896–1988) |
25 April 1960 | 19 August 1960 | 116 days |  Yun Po-sun |
| 6 |  |
Chung Il-hyung 정일형 (1904–1982) |
23 August 1960 | 20 May 1961 | 270 days | |
| 7 |  |
Kim Hong-il 김홍일 (1898–1980) |
21 May 1961 | 21 July 1961 | 61 days | |
| 8 |  |
Song Yo-chan 송요찬 (1918–1980) |
22 July 1961 | 10 October 1961 | 80 days | |
| 9 |  |
Choe Deok-sin 최덕신 (1914–1989) |
11 October 1961 | 15 March 1963 | 1 year, 155 days | |
 Park Chung Hee (acting) | ||||||
| 10 |  |
Kim Yong-shik 김용식 (1913–1995) |
16 March 1963 | 16 December 1963 | 275 days | |
| 11 |  |
Chung Il-kwon 정일권 (1917–1994) |
17 December 1963 | 24 July 1964 | 220 days | Park Chung Hee |
| 12 |  |
Lee Tong-won 이동원 (1926–2006) |
25 July 1964 | 26 December 1966 | 2 years, 154 days | |
| 13 | |
Chung Il-kwon 정일권 (1917–1994) |
27 December 1966 | 29 June 1967 | 184 days | |
| 14 | |
Choi Kyu-hah 최규하 (1919–2006) |
30 June 1967 | 4 June 1971 | 3 years, 339 days | |
| 15 | |
Kim Yong-shik 김용식 (1913–1995) |
4 June 1971 | 2 December 1973 | 2 years, 181 days | |
| 16 |  |
Kim Dong-jo 김동조 (1918–2004) |
3 December 1973 | 18 December 1975 | 2 years, 15 days | |
| 17 |  |
Pak Tongjin 박동진 (1922–2013) |
19 December 1975 | 1 September 1980 | 4 years, 257 days | |
_Choi.jpg) Choi Kyu-hah | ||||||
| 18 |  |
Lho Shin-yong 노신영 (1930–2019) |
2 September 1980 | 1 June 1982 | 1 year, 272 days | .JPEG) Chun Doo-hwan |
| 19 |  |
Lee Bum-suk 이범석 (1925–1983) |
2 June 1982 | 9 October 1983 | 1 year, 129 days | |
| 20 |  |
Lee Won-kyung 이원경 (1922–2007) |
15 October 1983 | 26 August 1986 | 2 years, 315 days | |
| 21 |  |
Choi Kwang-soo 최광수 (1935–2021) |
27 August 1986 | 5 December 1988 | 2 years, 100 days | |
 Roh Tae-woo | ||||||
| 22 |  |
Choi Ho-joong 최호중 (1930–2015) |
5 December 1988 | 27 December 1990 | 2 years, 22 days | |
| 23 |  |
Lee Sang-ock 이상옥 (born 1934) |
27 December 1990 | 26 February 1993 | 2 years, 61 days | |
| 24 |  |
Han Sung-joo 한승주 (born 1940) |
26 February 1993 | 24 December 1994 | 1 year, 301 days |  Kim Young-sam |
| 25 |  |
Gong Ro-myung 공로명 (1932–2026) |
24 December 1994 | 7 November 1996 | 1 year, 319 days | |
| 26 |  |
Yoo Chong-ha 유종하 (born 1936) |
7 November 1996 | 3 March 1998 | 1 year, 116 days | |
| 27 |  |
Park Chung-soo 박정수 (1932–2003) |
3 March 1998 | 4 August 1998 | 154 days |  Kim Dae-jung |
| 28 | |
Hong Soon-young 홍순영 (1937–2014) |
4 August 1998 | 14 January 2000 | 1 year, 163 days | |
| 29 |  |
Lee Joung-binn 이정빈 (born 1937) |
14 January 2000 | 26 March 2001 | 1 year, 71 days | |
| 30 |  |
Han Seung-soo 한승수 (born 1936) |
26 March 2001 | 4 February 2002 | 315 days | |
| 31 | |
Choi Sung-hong 최성홍 (born 1938) |
4 February 2002 | 27 February 2003 | 1 year, 23 days | |
| 32 |  |
Yoon Young-kwan 윤영관 (born 1951) |
27 February 2003 | 17 January 2004 | 324 days |  Roh Moo-hyun |
| 33 |  |
Ban Ki-moon 반기문 (born 1944) |
17 January 2004 | 10 November 2006 | 2 years, 297 days | |
| 34 |  |
Song Min-soon 송민순 (born 1948) |
1 December 2006 | 29 February 2008 | 1 year, 90 days | |
| 35 |  |
Yu Myung-hwan 유명환 (born 1948) |
29 February 2008 | 8 September 2010 | 2 years, 192 days |  Lee Myung-bak |
| 36 | .jpg) |
Kim Sung-hwan 김성환 (born 1953) |
8 October 2010 | 11 March 2013 | 2 years, 154 days | |
| 37 | _Cropped.jpg) |
Yun Byung-se 윤병세 (born 1953) |
11 March 2013 | 18 June 2017 | 4 years, 99 days |  Park Geun-hye |
| 38 | _(cropped).jpg) |
Kang Kyung-wha 강경화 (born 1955) |
18 June 2017 | 8 February 2021 | 3 years, 235 days |  Moon Jae-in |
| 39 |  |
Chung Eui-yong 정의용 (born 1946) |
9 February 2021 | 11 May 2022 | 1 year, 91 days | |
| 40 | _(cropped)_(cropped).jpg) |
Park Jin 박진 (born 1956) |
12 May 2022 | 10 January 2024 | 1 year, 243 days |  Yoon Suk-yeol |
| 41 |  |
Cho Tae-yul 조태열 (born 1955) |
12 January 2024 | 18 July 2025 | 1 year, 187 days | |
| 42 |  |
Cho Hyun 조현 (born 1957) |
19 July 2025 | Incumbent | 1 year, 48 days | .jpg) Lee Jae Myung |