Full of vigor and yearning for a completely different culture, Sohn Sung-won packed his bags and flew to Egypt to learn Arabic when he was in college.

The 1 1/2 years he spent there gave him not only good Arabic skills but also life goals, dreams and visions: he decided to become a diplomat and help bridge Korea and other countries.

On Wednesday, the 28-year-old began his career as a second secretary at the Foreign Ministry’s first Middle East division ― with a specialization in Arabic.

“My trip to Egypt was to experience a culture that others around me would not be as much interested in. But there I began nurturing hopes to play a bridging role between Korea and the world,” he told The Korea Herald.

“With Korea’s role growing on the international stage, I wish to contribute to formulating more specialized views with regard to Middle East affairs.”

Sohn was part of the first cadre of graduates of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, which was set up in 2012 to revamp the country’s diplomat recruitment system. 

For the last 45 years, diplomats have been selected through a national public servant exam focusing on written tests. But the scheme was blamed for producing officials lacking in strategic thinking, comprehensive knowledge of world affairs and practical skills to face the ups and downs on the ground.

The KNDA hosted a tough yearlong training course for 39 out of 43 candidates. Among them only 33 attended as the other six opted to postpone their appointment for personal reasons.

The group consists of 25 experts in general diplomacy, five regional experts with local language fluency and three with expertise in specific foreign affairs.

Oh Ji-eun, a 25-year-old newly minted diplomat at the North Korean nuclear affairs policy division, cited Hans-Dietrich Genscher, a former West German foreign minister who played a key role in the 1990 German unification, as her role model.

“I was much impressed by what he did in the lead-up to the unification while studying about 2 1/2 years for this job,” she said.

“I believe that the North Korean nuclear issue is one that all South Korean diplomats would want to deal with. I will work hard to contribute to its resolution.”

At an appointment ceremony, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se advised the newbies to look at the world through both a “telescope and microscope” so that they can develop strategic perspectives.

“When all of you are in service, the two Koreas must be reunited, not in a way that simply tackles security threats but that allows sustainable peace to put down roots. You should maximize all your diplomatic capabilities for a peaceful unification,” he said.

“I am not yet convinced whether this new recruitment system will be successful. We are standing at a starting point ― I hope each of you will develop your own motto and think about how to contribute to our diplomacy and national development and bring forward unification.”

By Shin Hyon-hee and Joel Lee
(heeshin@heraldcorp.com) (joel@heraldcorp.com)