Seoul reconsiders embassy expansion plan

The Foreign Ministry in Seoul is weighing a reversal of the previous administration’s plan to open new overseas missions, as it moves to streamline its global network and concentrate limited resources around regional hubs. The shift follows President Lee Jae Myung’s public instruction at the ministry’s 2026 policy briefing on Friday to reassess the scale and effectiveness of South Korea’s overseas missions, citing stretched resources and operational inefficiencies. The current review covers a pl