“Even if the integration process of the Korea-Africa Foundation and the Korea Foundation (KF) proceeds in accordance with government policy, the unique professional functions and identity of the organization that has been dedicated to diplomatic affairs in Africa must be maintained.”
Kim Young-chae (62), chairman of the Korea-Africa Foundation, met with Yonhap News at the opening ceremony of '2026 Africa Week' held in the Gongjicheon area in Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do on the 14th and expressed his first specific position on the issue of integration between foundations under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has recently emerged as a pending issue for politicians and diplomats.
With the first meeting of the tripartite task force (TF) held between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, KF, and the Foundation last week, and full-fledged integration discussions beginning, it was emphasized that the foundation's expertise should be given top priority regardless of integration.
In the political world, Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun said he would suggest reconsideration to President Lee Jae-myung at the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee audit on the 6th, but the prevailing analysis is that it will be realistically difficult to reverse the integration with KF in accordance with the government's policy of improving the efficiency of public institutions.
However, as it is a legislative matter of the National Assembly that requires the abolition of the Foundation Act and the revision of related laws, weight is placed on the forecast that the integration will be completed in the second half of the year after a full-scale legislative review process in the first half of next year and a grace period and organizational reorganization period.
The discussion on the integration of the Foundation and KF is an issue that the government has been carefully pursuing behind the scenes, to the extent that many members of the National Assembly responded that they only became aware of the merger ahead of the recent government audit.
Since there has been no process for collecting opinions from within the organization or for external public discussion such as from African-related organizations or experts, it is expected that discussions will take place in the form of public hearings and debates in the future National Assembly deliberation process.
◇ “We respect the policies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but an effective professional structure must be guaranteed in case of integration.”
Chairman Kim confessed his difficulties between the criticisms raised during the National Assembly inspection and the government's policy, saying, "As a public official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I must respect the government's policy and the purpose of the president's remarks, so it is realistically difficult to express a completely opposing opinion."
However, he added, "Due to the nature of African work, its importance is increasing over time, and if the organization disappears, professionalism will inevitably be damaged. Even if integrated, an effective structure that can perform specialized functions as it is now must be guaranteed."
Chairman Kim, who passed the 24th Foreign Service Examination, worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 34 years and served as Ambassador to South Africa, Ambassador to Libya, Ambassador to ASEAN, and Ambassador to Nigeria. Considering his experience working in the African region three times, he was appointed as the foundation's chairman in September 2024.
Regarding the first integrated task force meeting that started last week, he said, "It is the initial stage to establish a large framework for integration," and "The specific timeline or details have not yet been agreed upon."
He continued, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly are also aware of the special nature and importance of African diplomacy,” and “We are continuously suggesting ways to maintain a system dedicated to African affairs within KF, rather than simply absorbing and integrating.”
◇ Seoul-Jeju dual Wonhwa/dedicated executive director system discussed… Employment succession task
In the political world, if integration becomes visible, a specific scenario of organizational reorganization is discussed to physically integrate with KF, which is headquartered in Seogwipo, Jeju, and to maximize the effectiveness of African diplomacy.
A promising plan is to utilize the Diplomatic Town space in Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, where the foundation is located, and maintain it in the form of an 'Africa dedicated center' or 'headquarters'.
Considering the frequent networking with African embassies in 21 countries and the demand for diplomatic events, a Seoul base is essential, and due to the nature of locating in the Diplomatic Town, space efficiency can be maximized without additional rent burden.
There is also an analysis that there is a high possibility of moving to a system in which the KF organization has a separate executive director (headquarters level) in charge of African affairs and independently manages and operates the Seocho-dong organization.
In this process of structural reorganization, the issue of practical human resources maintenance, such as ensuring complete employment succession of existing foundation employees and establishing standards for rotational assignments between the Jeju headquarters and Seoul center in the future, is expected to become a key issue.
◇ “It’s unfortunate that we don’t have an overseas office…Africa is a partner we can’t give up on.”
Chairman Kim emphasized that the African continent is a strategic point made up of a vast number of 54 countries and extremely diverse interests, but also expressed realistic regrets about running the organization.
He said, “KF operates offices in many places overseas, but the foundation does not even have a single official office in the country.” He expressed the opinion, “Even if we can establish just one regional office in a key location such as Ethiopia, the effectiveness of diplomacy can take several steps forward.”
KF is dispatching 12 people to eight overseas offices in seven countries, including two locations in the United States, including Washington DC (Korea-U.S. Future Center) and Los Angeles, Beijing, China, Moscow, Russia, Berlin, Germany, Hanoi, Vietnam, Tokyo, Japan, and Jakarta, Indonesia.
In addition, Chairman Kim also pointed out that the organization must be normalized by overcoming internal concerns such as full-time directors who have been subject to mandatory retirement, prolonged vacancies for successor full-time directors due to legal disputes, and employment insecurity among employees.
Chairman Kim expressed hope that the foundation's voice will be faithfully reflected in future discussions. Foundation employees, as well as domestic African research academia, private companies, and African embassies in Korea are watching closely, concerned about weakening expertise after integration.
He said, "Even if I finish my term next September, I will make sure that African affairs are not reduced or retreated from the national diplomatic landscape while I am at the foundation. Even if integration is promoted, it should be in a direction where professional capabilities can lead to synergy, not budget reduction or mechanical absorption."
