Russia Changes Its Diplomats Related to Korean Peninsula Issue

The Russian diplomatic front towards Korea, which had been led by Alexander Roshukov, the deputy foreign minister of Russia, seems to have changed.

In the case of Korea, which has partly altered its diplomatic personnel, and which has centered on North American countries, the diplomats who are in charge of the North Korean nuclear weapons problem will undergo large-scale changes in the upcoming round of the Six-nations talks.

“The deputy foreign minister in charge of Asian issues, Roshukov, who is currently in charge of the head seat of the Russian side in the Six-nations talks, is scheduled to be inaugurated as an ambassador to Japan,” said a Russian diplomatic spokesperson. Roshukov, who has been in charge of Asian regions since 2000, has been fully responsible for the Korean peninsula problems and North Korean nuclear issues, and visited North Korea as a special envoy of Vladimir Putin in 2003.

As for his successor, the Russian representative for Organization of Security and Cooperation of Europe (OSCE), Alexander Alekseev, or the current Japanese ambassador, Alexander Panov are considered strong candidates.

The Russian foreign ministry is planning to appoint a new deputy director of its Asia Department and a head of its Korea department in the near future. The current minister in the Russian embassy in Seoul, Alexander Timonin, and the former minister in the embassy in Busan will be dispatched to the team that deals with Korean issues.

China has transferred its representative for the Six-nations talks, Wangii, the current deputy foreign minister in charge of the Korean peninsula, to Canada as an ambassador, and Fuing, the director of its Asian bureau, to Australia as an ambassador. As for the successor of Wangii, Wudawei, the current ambassador in Japan has been mentioned. The personnel alteration will be wrapped up by the middle of this month.

Together with this measure, China has nominated Ning Fukui, the current ambassador in Cambodia, who is famous as an expert in Korean peninsula problems, to become the director responsible for the North Korea nuclear problem, and has established a brand new bureau, named the Department of Korean peninsula nuclear problems, under the direction of Ambassador Ning. It was reported that the ministry will dispatch five persons related to Korean peninsula problems and add 8 more people to the team.

Although Korea left its representative for the 6 nations talk, Lee Su-hyuck, the deputy minister of the foreign ministry, in place, it seems that the director of North America department will be replaced by Kim Sook, the current America researcher of the Diplomacy and Security Research Center, in near future.

The United States has also nominated Georgeff Detrani to be the special envoy in charge of North Korean negotiations, and Chuck Johns, the former person in charge of Korean peninsula problems, to the position of assistant deputy director of National Security Council who is responsible for the Asian issues. This patches up part of its policy team.

Ki-Hyun Kim Jung-Ahn Kim kimkihy@donga.com credo@donga.com