The British ambassador to North Korea is head of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

diplomatic mission A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

. The official title is His Britannic Majesty's Ambassador to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The current ambassador is Dr David Ellis, who has held the role since December 2021.

History

Under the

Imperial Chinese tributary system The tributary system of China (), or Cefeng system () was a network of loose international relations focused on China which facilitated trade and foreign relations by acknowledging China's predominant role in East Asia. It involved multiple relati ...

, Korea was a tributary state to China. After the

United Kingdom–Korea Treaty of 1883 The United Kingdom–Korea Treaty of 1883 was negotiated between representatives of the United Kingdom and Korea. Background In 1876, Korea established a trade treaty with Japan after Japanese ships approached Ganghwado and threatened to fire on t ...

British Ministers to China were appointed as "Her Majesty's

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...

to His Majesty the Emperor of China, and also Her Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the King of Corea." Britain also appointed

consul-general A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

s to be resident in Seoul, but they were not heads of mission, as the head of mission was the minister in Peking (now Beijing). In 1898, following the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the po ...

(1894–95), the

Korean Empire The Korean Empire () was a Korean monarchical state proclaimed in October 1897 by Emperor Gojong of the Joseon dynasty. The empire stood until Japan's annexation of Korea in August 1910. During the Korean Empire, Emperor Gojong oversaw the Gwa ...

became independent of China, and Britain appointed a chargé d'affaires who became

Minister Resident A resident minister, or resident for short, is a government official required to take up permanent residence in another country. A representative of his government, he officially has diplomatic functions which are often seen as a form of indir ...

when the United Kingdom and Korea exchanged envoys in 1901.

Consul-General in Seoul

*1884–1885:

William George Aston William George Aston (9 April 1841 – 22 November 1911) was an Anglo-Irish diplomat, author and scholar-expert in the language and history of Japan and Korea. Early life Aston was born near Derry, Ireland.Ricorso Aston, bio notes/ref> He dis ...

*1889–1896: Walter Hillier *1896-1898: John Jordan

Head of mission to Korea

Minister to China, non-resident Minister to Korea

*1884–1885: Sir Harry Smith Parkes *1885–1892: Sir John Walsham, 2nd Baronet *1892–1895: Sir Nicholas O'Conor *1896–1898: Sir Claude MacDonald

Chargé d'affaires

*1898–1901: John Jordan

Minister Resident

*1901–1905: Sir John Jordan Under the

Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905 The Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905, also known as the Eulsa Treaty, Eulsa Unwilling Treaty or Japan–Korea Protectorate Treaty, was made between the Empire of Japan and the Korean Empire in 1905. Negotiations were concluded on November 17, 19 ...

Korea became a protectorate of Japan, and Britain and other countries withdrew diplomatic missions from Seoul. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Japan's rule ended and Korea was occupied by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

and

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, resulting in

division of Korea The division of Korea began with the defeat of Japan in World War II. During the war, the Allied leaders considered the question of Korea's future after Japan's surrender in the war. The leaders reached an understanding that Korea would be l ...

between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea).

Head of mission to North Korea

After Britain and North Korea re-established diplomatic relations in 2000,

James Hoare James Edward Hoare (born 1943) is a British academic and historian specialising in Korean and Chinese studies, and a career diplomat in the British Foreign Office. Academia Dr. Hoare is a graduate of London's School of Oriental and African Studi ...

was appointed British Chargé d'affaires in

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...

; and his work laid the foundation for the establishment of a full embassy in the North Korean capital.Kyodo News International
"Britain appoints James Hoare as N. Korea charge,"
BNET. 5 February 2001. The British Embassy in Pyongyang opened in July 2001.

David Slinn David Arthur Slinn (born 16 April 1959 in Northampton, England) is a retired British diplomat. He was Chargé d'Affaires to Albania in 1995 to 1996. Slinn was the first British ambassador to North Korea. Slinn was head of the Helmand Provinci ...

was the first British Ambassador; he arrived in Pyongyang in November 2002.Foreign& Commonwealth Office (FCO); Korea, DPR (North Korea)
Diplomatic representation

Chargé d'affaires in North Korea

, 2001–2002

Ambassador to North Korea

Notes

References

* Korean Mission to the Conference on the Limitation of Armament, Washington, D.C., 1921–1922. (1922)
''Korea's Appeal to the Conference on Limitation of Armament''
Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office
OCLC 12923609

External links

UK and North Korea
gov.uk {{Lists of heads of UK diplomatic missions Korea North