S.Korea to boost incident-response staffing at overseas missions

The government has decided to increase the number of personnel dedicated to handling incidents involving Korean nationals overseas, amid a series of crimes committed by foreign criminal organizations targeting Koreans. The revision to the Enforcement Decree on the Organization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Its Affiliates was approved on November 18 during a Cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok.

Under the plan, 16 staff members will be added to overseas missions to focus exclusively on incident-response duties, with six additional police attachés deployed for the protection of Korean nationals abroad. The move comes in response to cases such as the recent “Cambodia incident,” which underscored the growing risks posed by transnational criminal networks.

The Cabinet also reviewed and approved the revival of the Science and Technology Ministers’ Meeting, which will coordinate and deliberate on cross-ministerial policies related to science, technology, and artificial intelligence (AI). Originally launched under the Roh Moo-hyun administration, the meeting was abolished during the Lee Myung-bak government, reinstated under Moon Jae-in, and discontinued again under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration in 2021. The reinstatement signals the government’s renewed commitment to fostering science and AI as key national growth engines.

In addition, the Cabinet approved the allocation of approximately ₩6.06 billion from the general reserve fund to cover extended operational costs for the so-called “three special prosecutors” investigating cases involving sedition, former first lady Kim Keon-hee, and the late Marine Corporal Chae Sang-byeong.