By It looks like US Ambassador to Korea Kathleen Stephens is making a good first impression in Korea:
As soon as I asked Ambassador Kathleen Stephens “what’s the secret to your apparently being the most popular American ambassador in history?” her face brightened. “Koreans look positively on how I try to speak Korean and what I’ve learned about Korea, and I’m touched by that. I think all that has been a big help to me in quickly getting adjusted.”
Once we finished the weighty policy questions and moved into questions of personal interest, Ambassador Stephens talked brightly in her fluent Korean. I asked her what grade she would give herself on her Korean ability and she humbly replied, in Korean, “it’s enough. A C in politics, or economics, or social issues. My ability to understand is a little better than my ability to speak.” [Korea Beat]
Make sure to read the entire interview in the Hankyoreh translated courtesy of Korea Beat. Here is one of my favorite questions from the interview:
Koreans did not choose to be divided. It was done by foreign powers, and Koreans resisted. How do you feel about the prospects for unification?
Yes Korea was divided by foreign powers in the aftermath of World War II, but what resisting was Korea doing to stop it from happening? Ambassador Stephens gave a very diplomatic answer though.
Speaking of being diplomatic here is another smart move by Ambassador Stephens:
U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Kathleen Stephens visited a Seoul museum Saturday that honors the late Kim Koo, the sixth and last president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in Shanghai, during the Japanese colonial period (1910-1945), the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said Sunday.
It was the first time that a U.S. ambassador had visited the museum that opened in October 2002, the ministry said in a news release. Former U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Stephen W. Bosworth visited the Kim Koo Museum and Library in Hyochang-dong, Seoul, after his retirement, it said.
Stephens told reporters that she was visiting the museum with her son to learn about Korean history, dismissing speculation that her visit was something to do with a recent row here over the legitimacy of the Korean government-in-exile.
Stephens met with Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Kim Yang and Kim Koo’s second son, Kim Shin, who serves as director of the museum, ministry officials said. [Korea Times]
Kim Koo is one of the most popular Korean independence activists and early politicians of the Republic of Korea. He is often regarded as one of the greatest figures in modern Korean history. Ambassador Stephens trip to the museum is an excellent idea to build up good will towards her with the general public.
I like the fact that Ambassador Stephens speaks Korean and is making trips like the one to the Kim Koo Musuem, which appears to have increased her popularity in Korea. However, is she the most popular US Ambassador in Korea? That is a pretty bold statement considering people like Donald Gregg and James Lilley were once US Ambassadors in Korea. However, popularity and effectiveness are two different things as well. Being an effective US Ambassador is more important then being a popular one. Let’s hope Ambassador Stephens is just as effective as she is popular.
11:05 am on January 5th, 2009 1
"Yes Korea was divided by foreign powers in the aftermath of World War II, but what resisting was Korea doing to stop it from happening?"
Ever hear of a little old country in Southeast Asia called Vietnam?
12:15 pm on January 5th, 2009 2
It is always nice to see that an ambassador speaks the host country's language. I think it should be a mandatory for all future ambassador to speak the language of the country they are posted. Can you imagined if any foreign ambassadors in DC don't speak English?
BTW, I wondered how the history would have turned out if Kim Koo was elected as the ROK's first President instead of Rhee. Kim Koo was respected on the both side of the 38th Parrallel back in the late 40's before his assassination.