The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has appointed a new ambassador to Nepal, where nine South Koreans remain out of contact following massive floods.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it has appointed incumbent Ambassador to Zimbabwe Park Jae-kyung as the new Ambassador to Nepal.

The Embassy of South Korea in Nepal has been operating under an acting ambassador system since former Ambassador Park Tae-young recently left his post after being appointed as the Consul General in Istanbul.

With only six officials including the acting ambassador, the embassy is a small diplomatic mission, raising speculations that it may lack sufficient personnel to respond to accidents involving South Koreans losing contact or being stranded.

Ambassador Park Jae-kyung, who began his public service career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1994, has previously served as Minister-Counselor at the South Korean Embassy in Indonesia, Director-General for ASEAN Affairs at ministry headquarters, and Minister-Counselor at the South Korean Embassy in Canada.

(Photo: Yonhap News)