South Korea's foreign ministry was officially christened the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday after shifting its responsibility for trade negotiations to the commerce ministry.
The name change meant that the ministry, formerly called the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, got a shorter name and lost its 15-year-long jurisdiction over trade affairs as part of a government-wide reorganization plan by President Park Geun-hye.
Still, trade experts express concerns that if the commerce ministry is responsible for trade policy, Seoul's ability to coordinate international trade negotiations could be limited because of the commerce ministry, which is in charge of the manufacturing industry.
At a signboard hanging ceremony for its new name, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se did not touch on these concerns.
"The era of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is over and the new era of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs begins," Yun said.
"A number of enormous challenges lie ahead of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The entire personnel of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be united in carrying out 'trust diplomacy' together with the public and ushering in the 'era of the people,'" Yun said.
In line with the name change, the ministry's official website address was adjusted to www.mofa.go.kr. (Yonhap News)
