Embassy of the United States in Seoul

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The Embassy of the United States in Seoul conducts diplomacy and handles relations with the Republic of Korea. The United States has had diplomatic relations with Korea, with interruption, since the late 1870s.

1 History
2 Role of U.S. Embassy in Korea
3 Ambassadors and Envoys to Korea
4 External links

[edit] History

Korea was known as the 'Hermit Kingdom' before the late 1800s. Relations with nations not aligned with China were more or less unknown and not welcome before that time. As China's power began to seriously wane in the 1800s, and as Japan's power, and increasing industrialization was on the rise, Korea began to make changes and make overtures to other nations. The first envoys from the U.S were sent to Seoul by the late 1870s. In 1883 the first Ambassador to the kingdom of Korea arrived in Seoul and an Embassy of sorts began operation. Soon an Embassy was run out of the Ambassador's residence, a villa given to the U.S. in 1888 by a Korean royal, located just behind the DukSoo palace. [This site is still owned by the U.S. government, and is the current site of the U.S. Ambassador to Seoul: the 'Habib House' built in 1974]. As Japan's control over Korea began to increase, especially after the Japanese victory over China in the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895, the role of foreign diplomatic mission in Seoul began to re-think their presence. After the 1905 victory of Japan over Russia in the Russo-Japanese war, Korea's independence was effectively over. By 1910 Korea was formally annexed by Japan and the U.S. mission in Seoul was shut down. Korea remained under Japanese occupation or colonization until their loss to Allied forces in World War II. American and Soviet forces took control of Korea from the Japanese, each setting up governments in Seoul (America) and Pyongyang (Soviets). The U.S. recognized the government in Seoul in 1948, the same year North Korea was recognized by the Soviets. From 1948 the American Embassy was up and running, operating out of a leased hotel bldg. The June 25, 1950 invasion of Korea saw the beginning of the Korean War and the evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. Seoul was captured by the North Korean forces by the end of June. It would be retaken by the middle of September that same year, but lost again to Red-Chinese and North Korean forces in early 1951. In April 1951 UN forces retook Seoul for good. The U.S. Embassy was eventually re-opened, and has operated in Seoul continuously since that time.

The current Chancery building was built in 1962 and was initially an office for USAID. Several years later the building was given to the U.S Embassy. The Chancery has a virtually identical sister building, built at the same time, directly to its north. This building was once also part of the USAID office in Seoul, but was turned over to the Korean government, which uses it as its office for the Ministry of Trade. The Chancery is located in the heart of downtown Seoul on the main street leading to the Kyongbok palace, and directly next to several major Korean government agency buildings. At the time of its construction the building was one of the tallest in Seoul and comparatively modern. Today the Chancery building is much too small for U.S. Embassy needs,, and extremely outdated. Attempts at building a new Chancery have been in the plans since about 1980. Funding issues by the U.S. Congress, botched negotiations with the Korean government, and political wrangling between the U.S. and Korean governments over an appropriate site, have led to the lengthy delay in a new Chancery. In 1986 the U.S. purchased land called the Kyungi girl's school site, nearby to the U.S. Ambassador's residence. This was encouraged by the Korean government at the time, with the idea that this site would be the home to a new Chancery building. Full efforts to build there by the Americans were rebuffed by recently empowered local community groups who believed that construction at that site would disturb buried archaeological evidence, would overshawdow the nearby DukSoo palace and ruin the aesthetics of the neighborhood. Current plans call for a new Chancery to be built on land to be relinquished by the U.S. Army leaving the Yongsan Garrison south of downtown Seoul, but still north of the Han river.

[edit] Role of U.S. Embassy in Korea

The U.S. Embassy in Seoul has traditionally played a key and prominent role in politics in Seoul. Issues such as the large, ever present danger of North Korean aggression, presence of U.S. troops in South Korea, and the deference of South Korea to the U.S. have been factors that lead to such importance. Increasingly the U.S Embassy has been the focus of demonstrations in Seoul. Whenever a controversial issue crops up involving the U.S presence in Korea, a demonstration will almost invariably occur at the U.S. Embassy. Several platoons of Korean riot police are always present in front of the U.S. Embassy. Other U.S. diplomatic posts in Korea have been shut down, the last being the Consulate in Seoul in early 1999.