South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on March 12 that Professor Baek Tae-woong, 63, from Hanyang University Law School, has been appointed as chief delegate to the OECD.
Unusual Choice for Key Economic Role
The position typically goes to senior officials from economic ministries, though national economic experts occasionally fill it. Professor Baek’s selection stands out, as he lacks a traditional background in economics.
Professor Baek’s Career Highlights
During the Roh Moo-hyun administration’s presidential election, Baek served as chair of a subcommittee on national constitutional affairs under the Democratic Party’s central campaign office. A former president of the Seoul National University Student Defense Corps, Baek co-founded the Socialist Workers’ League in the 1980s alongside poet Park No-hae and others.
In 1992, amid concerns over national economic policy, he faced charges under the National Security Law, receiving a 15-year suspended sentence. A special pardon released him in 1999. Baek then pursued studies in the United States, earning master’s and doctoral degrees in international human rights law before joining Hanyang University Law School as a professor in 2011.
Additional Diplomatic Appointments
The ministry also named several new ambassadors:
- Cho Young-jun, Gangwon Province international relations ambassador, to Nicaragua.
- Son Hyuk-sang, dean of Kyung Hee University’s Graduate School of Public Policy, to Paraguay.
- Lee Won-jae, economics professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, to Turkmenistan.
- Boo Suk-jong, former Navy Chief of Staff, to Turkey.
- Park Cheol-min, former ambassador to Hungary, to Hungary.
