South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol plans to appoint Yun Duk-min, a former head of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy who is known for his knowledge of Japan, as the next ambassador to the country, a source close to the matter said Wednesday.
The 62-year-old obtained a doctoral degree at Tokyo's Keio University and is proficient in Japanese. He is also an expert on diplomatic and security affairs, including North Korea.
Yoon, a conservative, is set to take office on Tuesday. He has expressed willingness to improve ties with Japan, which have soured under the current progressive government over issues stemming from Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945.