Wkly Mtg: Ambassador Oh Joon

SPEAKER: Ambassador Oh Joon – May 14

Ambassador of South Korea to the UN
Oh Joon is a career diplomat who has served the Republic of Korea in various posts. He has been appointed as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Korea to the United Nations in New York. Prior to this position, he was Ambassador of the Republic of Korea in Singapore from 2010-13 and Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Seoul from 2008-10.

From 2005 to 2007, he was Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative at the Permanent Mission of Korea to the United Nations in New York. Ambassador Oh served as Chairman of the United Nations Disarmament Commission (UNDC) for the 2006 session, in addition to representing the Republic of Korea in many meetings of the UN bodies. During the Korean Presidency of the 56th session of the UN General Assembly from 2001 to 2002, he worked in the President’s office as Deputy Chef de Cabinet.

From 2003 to 2005, he was Director-General for International Organizations at the Korean Foreign Ministry. During this time, he also chaired the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) from 2004 to 2005.

He joined the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1978 and has served as Special Adviser to the Foreign Minister (2007-08); Minister, ROK Embassy in Brazil (2002-2003); Deputy Director-General for Policy Planning (1999-2001); Counselor, ROK Embassy in Malaysia (1997-99); and Director, United Nations Division (1995-97). The ROK Government awarded him an Order of Service Merit twice, first the Order of Green Stripes in 1996 and the Order of Yellow Stripes in 2006.

He received an M.A. in International Policy Studies from Stanford University (1991-92); a Diploma in International and Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science (1982-83); and a B.A. in French Literature from Seoul National University (1974-78). He was a Visiting Scholar at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University (1990-91).

Ambassador Oh has also been a member of the Korea Agenda Council of the World Economic Forum (WEF) since 2010.

Born in Seoul on 4 October 1955, he is married to Kim Miri. They have two children.