Roh Jae-heon (right) joined last month's presidential special envoy delegation to China, led by former National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug. Photo: VCG

Roh Jae-heon, 60, the eldest son of former South Korean president Roh Tae-woo and chairman of the East Asia Culture Center, has been appointed as the first Chinese ambassador of the Lee Jae-myung government with related procedural steps now underway, according to multiple South Korean media reports.

The Chosun Daily said in a report on Thursday that Roh visited China last month as part of the presidential special envoy delegation to China, led by former National Assembly speaker Park Byeong-seug. 

The report also noted that "it appears that Chairman Roh's various activities to promote Korea-China exchanges in the past have served as the background for this appointment." Roh promoted cultural exchange projects between South Korea and China through the East Asia Culture Foundation, established in 2012, and in 2016, he served as an adviser to the international advisory group of Chengdu City, China. In 2021, he served as the chairman of the sociocultural subcommittee of the Korea-China Future Relations Development Committee under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to the Chosun Daily.

The Chosun Daily report said that analysis suggests that former president Roh Tae-woo's efforts during his tenure, including the establishment of diplomatic relations between South Korea and China in 1992 as part of the "Northern Policy," also influenced the appointment.

On August 19, Chinese Ambassador Dai Bing visited the grave of former South Korean president Roh Tae-woo in Paju, accompanied by Roh Jae-heon, according to a release from the Chinese Embassy. 

The Yonhap report also cited an official of the ruling Democratic Party who said that the government is likely to have viewed him as a suitable figure to improve bilateral ties given his "expertise on China that he built up beyond what is publicly known."

Global Times