Meet the New Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna of the Republic of Korea

PeopleDiplomats ♦ Published: October 21, 2022; 23:00 ♦ (Vindobona)

Ham Sang Wook, the Republic of Korea's new Ambassador in Austria and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna presented his credentials to the Austrian Secretary General for Foreign Affairs, Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, and to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna, Ghada Waly. Meet Ambassador Ham Sang Wook, the new South Korean Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna.

Ambassador Ham Sang Wook is very experienced in international relations and is ready to represent South Korea in the best way in Vienna. / Picture: © IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency / Dean Calma / Flickr Attribution (CC BY 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)

Ham Sang Wook is currently South Korea’s Ambassador to Austria, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations Office in Vienna and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

The new Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Austria officially took up his duties in Vienna on October 16. Ambassador Ham Sang Wook then paid a courtesy call to Austrian Secretary General for Foreign Affairs Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal on the afternoon of Oct. 18 and presented him with a copy of his credentials.

Ambassador Ham Sang Wook and Launsky-Tieffenthal assessed the development of bilateral relations between Korea and Austria on the occasion of the 130th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and sought to promote friendly and cooperative relations. Both sides agreed to further strengthen cooperation in key areas of cooperation such as economy, culture and people-to-people exchanges, as reported by Vindobona.org. Both countries also intend to continue working together to promote security and peace in the region, especially on the Korean Peninsula.

Ham Sang-Wook is an experienced diplomat with 20 years of experience. Ambassador Ham Sang Wook was the Deputy Foreign Minister of South Korea in his previous position and is well experienced in diplomacy.

The new Permanent Representative of South Korea to the United Nations (Vienna), recently presented his credentials to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), Ghada Waly.

In addition, Mr. Ham Sang-Wook represents the Republic of Korea at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He recently presented his credentials to IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna.

Ambassador Ham Sang Wook will chair the IAEA Board of Governors and address the situation in Ukraine and current nonproliferation challenges.

Ambassador Ham Sang Wook is well-versed in multilateral relations and has represented South Korea at the United Nations in New York. In addition, the new South Korean ambassador also has experience in international relations in the field of nuclear security, especially on the Korean Peninsula.

Ham Sang-Wook's undergraduate degree is in Political Science from Seoul National University, and he holds a Master's degree from Columbia University in International Affairs.

Throughout his career, Mr. Ham Sang-Wook has served in various capacities.

Curriculum Vitae:
Education:
Prior to Prior to 2002 Earned a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Seoul National University
Career History:
2002-2005 First Secretary, Korean Permanent Mission to the UN in New York
2000–2004 Permanent Representative of Estonia to the United Nations in New York
2005-2007 Counsellor, Embassy in Iraq
2007-2009 Director, North Korean Nuclear Policy Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Korea
2009-2012 Counsellor, Embassy in the United States
2012-2015 Minister-Counsellor, Embassy in Afghanistan
2015 Deputy Director-General, International Organizations Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2015-2018 Director-General for Non-proliferation and Nuclear Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2018-2020 Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative, Korean Permanent Mission to the UN in New York
2020-2022 Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Since 2022 Ambassador to Austria, Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna
Diplomatic Rank: Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna
Family: Married, Two Daughters.

UNIS