New Ambassador to China Noh Jae-heon officially took office on the 16th. Noh said, "I will make every effort to secure stability in supply chains related to rare earths," and "we will cooperate with corporations and in a variety of fields." He also stressed that he would focus on strengthening bilateral cooperation in industry, promoting friendly sentiment between the peoples, and protecting Korean nationals and corporations.
At about 2:45 p.m. local time that day, Noh met with reporters at Beijing Capital International Airport in China and said, "As Korea-China relations reach a turning point, I feel a heavy sense of responsibility in taking on this important role," adding, "There are many pending issues and a pile of tasks, but on the 33rd anniversary of diplomatic relations, I will do my best with the spirit of 'moving mountains through persistence' to advance our cooperative ties."
Regarding Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Korea on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Gyeongju, Noh said, "It will be exactly 11 years since Xi visits Korea, and expectations are high. The visit is a good opportunity for Korea-China relations to make a fresh leap," adding, "It is an important opportunity to firm up friendly and trustful ties between the two countries' leaders and to develop relations on that foundation."
On the anti-China protests spreading at home, he expressed concern, saying they were "undesirable." Noh said, "Recently, President Lee Jae-myung said he would respond firmly to the anti-China protests, and measures are being taken accordingly," adding, "We should respond firmly to anything that harms friendly sentiment between the two countries, and we should work even harder on efforts that foster friendly feeling."
Noh went straight to the embassy and held an inauguration ceremony. In his inaugural address, he said he would focus on ▲ strengthening strategic communication ▲ boosting practical cooperation that the peoples of both countries can feel ▲ protecting our overseas nationals and corporations ▲ promoting friendly sentiment among the peoples of both countries.
Noh said, "I will work to ensure ample communication among top-level and other senior officials of the two countries," adding, "I will seek new drivers for cooperation with China in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), biotech, and new energy."
He added, "Through new economic cooperation such as stabilizing supply chains in semiconductors and automobiles, I will work to ensure that efforts deliver tangible help to both peoples," and "as we learned lessons from the Cambodia incident, I will work even harder to ensure the safety of overseas nationals."
Lastly, he added, "No matter how good a policy is, if it is not grounded in public opinion, it is a castle in the air. I will pay close attention to fostering friendly sentiment between the peoples of both countries and to encouraging robust people-to-people and cultural exchanges."
With Noh's inauguration, the ambassadorship, which had been vacant for nine months since former Ambassador Chung Jae-ho left office in Jan., has been filled. Noh is expected to go straight to work and begin coordinating working-level consultations related to Xi's visit to Korea.
After graduating from Seoul National University with a degree in business administration, Noh earned a master's in political science from Stanford University and a doctorate in law from Georgetown University. He later served as an adviser to the Chengdu International Advisory Committee in China in 2016 and as Chairperson of the socio-cultural subcommittee of the Korea-China Future Development Committee in 2021, taking the lead in Korea-China exchanges. Noh's father, former President Roh Tae-woo, pursued the Northern Policy, including establishing diplomatic relations with China in 1992.