S. Korea appoints new ambassadors to 10 countries

South Korea appointed new ambassadors to Malaysia, Mongolia and eight other countries, the foreign ministry said Monday, in a regular reshuffle that also includes replacements of those under probe over alleged misconduct.

Former Environment Minister Lee Chi-beom will head the South Korean Embassy in Malaysia and Lee Yeo-hong, previously a minister at the South Korean Embassy in China, will serve as the ambassador to Mongolia, the ministry said in a release. 

The former top envoy to Malaysia was fired for accepting gifts and for mistreatment of subordinates, while the ex-ambassador to Mongolia has been referred to the central government's disciplinary committee over alleged ties with a visa broker.

Jeong Yeon-doo, a former chief of the foreign ministry's North Korean nuclear affairs bureau, has been appointed as the top envoy to the Netherlands, and Cheon Joon-ho, a former minister at the South Korean Embassy in Washington, will lead the foreign mission in Finland.

Others include Ryu Chang-soo, new ambassador to Gabon; Han Seong-jin to Latvia; Lee Sang-jeong to Sudan; Shim Jae-hyun to Honduras; Jang Keun-ho to Chile; and Woo In-shik to Paraguay.

Ahn Min-sik, a former top envoy to Paraguay, has been appointed as the new consul-general in Da Nang in Vietnam, the ministry said. (Yonhap)