S. Korea's UN ambassador criticized for policy knowledge

Cha Ji-hoon, South Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations and a former prosecutor with no diplomatic experience, faced criticism after failing to answer questions on UN sanctions against North Korea during a parliamentary audit on Oct. 17. A classmate of President Lee Jae-myung at the Judicial Research and Training Institute, Cha has been called a “parachute appointee.”

Cha appeared before the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee for an audit at South Korea’s U.N. mission in Manhattan, New York. Of the seven lawmakers who questioned him, six were from the ruling Democratic Party and one from the opposition People Power Party. Lawmakers from the ruling party praised Cha and emphasized the importance of multilateral diplomacy.

Rep. Kim Tae-ho of the People Power Party questioned Cha’s expertise, asking if he was familiar with U.N. Security Council Resolution 2375. Adopted unanimously in 2017 after North Korea’s sixth nuclear test, the resolution imposed strict sanctions on Pyongyang, including limits on oil supplies and a ban on new overseas work permits for North Korean laborers. It is widely regarded as a key measure against the regime.

Cha said there were many Security Council resolutions, suggesting he was not fully familiar with the one in question. Kim then asked if he knew about the 1989 Malta Summit, where U.S. President George H.W. Bush met Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, symbolizing the end of the Cold War. Cha said he was not familiar with the details.


Woo-Sun Lim imsun@donga.com