The foreign ministry appointed a new ambassador to Nigeria on Friday, replacing the former envoy under a probe over alleged misconduct in the hiring of an ex-embassy employee.

Kim Young-chae, who previously served as the special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, will head the mission in the African country, according to a ministry release.

Kim, a career diplomat, also served as the head of the South Korean missions to the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) and in Libya before moving to the special envoy position in May 2019.

His appointment comes as the ministry is seeking a prosecution investigation into the allegations that the former ambassador, Lee In-tae, gave undue favors to a Korean employee in the course of recruitment in 2019.

The ministry said earlier that it ordered Lee to return to Seoul. Lee has denied the allegations. (Yonhap)