what kind of man do we need in South Korea right now?
when I hear that regimes are changing, the world is in turmoil, and diplomacy is crumbling
i think of one face. kim Hyun-jong.

1. his upbringing and the power of the ‘non-mainstream’

kim was born in New York City and returned to South Korea after renouncing his U.S. citizenship, a thoroughly non-mainstreamperson who could never be an “establishment figure” in South Korea.
nevertheless, he rose to the forefront of diplomacy and commerce, and became the mastermind behind the massive structure of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement.

2. what is diplomacy? kim Hyun-jong’s philosophy was reality

“Diplomacy is not an emotion, it is the math of national interest.”

for him, diplomacy was not an ideal on a desk, but an arena of realismthat shaped the fate of nations.
even in the midst of the Japan-South Korea conflict,

“Just as Satsuma and Joshu formed an alliance to defeat the Shogunate, Korea and Japan need to work together strategically

“Korea and Japan need to work together strategically,” he said. at that moment, I realized, “This man is driven by strategy, not anger

3. roh Moo-hyun perfects diplomacy amid lies and attacks

kim Hyun-jong was one of the few hands-on diplomats trusted by President RohMoo-hyun.
during the Korea-U.S. FTA negotiations, he overcame opposition from all ministries, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Strategy and Budget, to get to the negotiating table.

conservative media called him a “cave-in to the U.S.” and progressive organizations called him a “farmer-killing hawk”.
but he didn’t back down.

the gains we now enjoy in opening up the automobile, semiconductor, and service markets are the result of his “no-holds-barred” negotiations.

4. since then, he has maintained a quiet connection with the U.S

the regime changed. under the regimes of Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, he was invisible.
but Washington remembered him.

USTR, the State Department, think tanks, and even White House staff. He traveled back and forth to the U.S., even as a civilian, keeping himself alive as a “Korean who could talk.”

5. called back – Moon Jae-in’s government and the confrontation with Trump

in 2017, President Moon Jae-in calls on Kim Hyun-jong again in the face of pressure from Trump’s first term to revise the FTA.
kim doesn’t back down and negotiates a revised FTA with Trumpearly.

on Trump’s first visit to South Korea, he didn’t even speak to most senior South Korean officials, but asked Kim directly.

“Are you in charge of the FTA?”
“Are you ready to get back to work?”

this suggeststhat the White House views Kim as an “opponent.

6. and for three years, he defended the “national interest” of the United States without anyone knowing

since 2021, he has been quietly interacting with Washington establishment officials, Congress, and think tanks without any title.
when the Americans met him again, they said.

“You were still working?”

yes, he was, even though no one asked him to, but he was playing for his country.

7. yun Suk-yol’s regime? Doesn’t matter – he works for the ‘nation’

may 10, 2025. kim visited the White House again, this time during an election year inwhich South Korea had no president.

but the United States met with him and talked to him from the heart. this was the result of a “strategic trust”that transcended ideology and regime.

8. kim’s “real heart” on Kim Er-Joon’s show

• “I still play for the United States for Korea. no one made me do it.”
• “I realized late on that we should cooperate with Japan. I was wrong.”
• “The importance of conventional weapons, I realized too late.”
• “The U.S. and South Korea must continue to communicate. alliances are survival.”

he admits mistakes, corrects his thinking, and moves for the good of the country.
i have never seen such a diplomat before.

9. conclusion – Kim Hyun-jong is loyal to the country itself, not the system

he’s not a foreign minister, he’s not a president, he’s not a general.
but I look at him and feel.

“In a really strong country, there is a man who moves without words.”

what he has is neither power nor support. in the end, it’s skill and trust.