Although the position of Consul General in New York has remained vacant for over eight months, the appointment of a new head of mission continues to be pushed to the back burner. The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs carried out two rounds of personnel appointments for heads of overseas missions this month. On the 6th, appointments were made for five missions, including those in Chicago and Houston, and on the 12th, for six; however, the Consul General in New York was ultimately not included. Furthermore, with the new appointments of Consul Generals in Chicago and Houston, as of the 12th, only two missions in the Americas remain vacant: the Consulate General in New York and the Consulate General in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The leadership position at the New York Consulate General has been vacant for over eight months since former Consul General Kim Eui-hwan stepped down in early July of last year. This period of leadership absence is the longest in the history of the New York Consulate General.
According to the history of the Consulate General in New York, since the appointment of the first head, Namgung Yeom, in 1949, the position of Consul General has typically seen a vacancy of at most one to two months; however, this time, the position is being unusually prolonged. Some voices are expressing concern, stating, “It is unprecedented for the position of Consul General to remain vacant nine months after the launch of the new administration,” and arguing that the situation must be resolved promptly given New York’s stature within the United States.
In this regard, an official from the Consulate General stated, “There has been no formal notification or news regarding the appointment of a new Consul General yet. However, the internal atmosphere suggests that a selection will likely be made soon.”
Another official remarked, “Given the prolonged nature of the selection process, we view the possibility of a Special Envoy being appointed again this time as highly likely.” Indeed, in the selection of two heads of missions in the Americas this month, Lee Kyung-eun, the representative of Human Rights Beyond Borders and an active human rights expert, was appointed as the Special Envoy for the Consulate General in Houston.
Meanwhile, criticism persists that the Consulate General is operating passively as the vacancy in the New York Consulate General position remains prolonged. Although the Consulate General completed its relocation to Manhattan last January and began operations at its new building, it has faced continued criticism for inadequate publicity regarding this move. In particular, the Consulate General abruptly switched its civil affairs office operations to an online pre-reservation system and suspended walk-in services starting on the 9th; however, it is being criticized for failing to consider the needs of applicants, as it only announced this change on its website on the 4th, just before implementation.