Korean Mission in Taipei


The Korean Mission in Taipei is the representative office of South Korea in Taiwan, functioning as a de facto embassy in the absence of diplomatic relations. Its counterpart is the Taipei Mission in Korea in Seoul.
Unlike American Institute in Taiwan or Japan–Taiwan Exchange Association, Korean Mission in Taipei is directly under control of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea, and the representative, the head of the Mission, is a position usually served by senior foreign service officers from MOFA. The other two actively work with either the United States Department of State or the Japanese Foreign Ministry, but in legal basis they are completely independent entities.
The Mission was established on 25 November following an agreement on 27 July 1993. This was after South Korea ceased to recognise the government in Taiwan as the Republic of China and closed its embassy in Taipei, following the establishment of relations with the People's Republic of China on August 27, 1992.
On 1 September 2004, representatives of the two missions signed an aviation agreement allowing aircraft of each side to enter the airspace of the other, permitting the resumption of direct scheduled flights by Korean and Taiwanese airlines, which had been discontinued in 1992.

Heads of Mission

The Korean Mission in Taipei is headed by a Representative, the following is a list of Representatives since the Mission's establishment in 1993.
No.PhotoNameTenureprevious assignment
1Han Chul-soo 1993 – 1995Ambassador to the Republic of China and Brazil
2Kang Min-soo 1996 – 1999
3Yun Hai-jung 1999 – 2002Minister of Korean Embassy in Tokyo
4Sohn Hoon 2002 – 2004Ambassador to Cameroon
Consul-General to Seattle
5Hwang Yong-shik 2004 – 2006Ambassador to Tunisia
6Oh Sang-sik 2006 – 2008Ambassador to Gabon
Minister of Korean Embassy in Paris
7Koo Yang-keun 2008 – 2011
8Chung Sang-ki 2011 – 2013Consul-General to San Francisco
9Cho Baek-sang 2014 – 2016Minister of Korean Embassy in Hanoi
Consul-General to Shenyang
10Yang Chang-soo 2016 - 2019Ambassador for IR, Gyeonggi Provincial Government
Consul-General to Guangzhou
11Kang Young-hoon 2019 -Consul-General to Honolulu
Minister-Counselor of Korean Embassy in Canberra