South Korea's Yoon taps U.S. alliance champion as foreign minister

SEOUL -- South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has nominated Park Jin to serve as foreign minister, selecting a staunch believer in the U.S. alliance who has expressed a flexible stance toward Japan.

"Based on his extensive experience, [Park] will normalize South Korean diplomacy that has fallen into stagnation, and I expect that he will contribute to transforming South Korea into a global nation that will live up to its responsibilities in the international community," Yoon said at a news conference Wednesday, where he discussed appointees for eight cabinet positions.