Consulates-general in Osaka, Mumbai abolished

The Foreign Affairs-Trade Ministry disclosed Tuesday that, in accordance with the foreign mission restructuring program, the government had decided to abolish consulates-general in Kobe, Japan and Mumbai, India, from July. The ministry also said that it would eliminate nine diplomatic posts overseas, including an ambassador with the rank of special first class.

In accordance with the reshuffle, the buildings of Kobe and Mumbai consulates-general will be operated as branch offices of the Osaka Consulate-General and the Korean Embassy to India, respectively, while their consular buildings will be maintained.

The ministry, meanwhile, is to assign an ambassador to San Marino, with which Seoul recently established diplomatic relations. And the Korean embassy to Malawi will be concurrently served by the ambassador to Zimbabwe, instead of the Tanzanian ambassador, while the concurrent Angola embassy will be managed by the ambassador to South Africa replacing the ambassador to Zimbabwe.