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outh Korea’s new Ambassador to Indonesia, career diplomat Kim Chang-beom, is to arrive in Jakarta on Thursday.

“He will soon submit his letter of credentials to President Joko Widodo,” the South Korean Embassy announced. “Ambassador Kim has special ties and experiences with Indonesia. He previously served as political counselor at the Korean Embassy in Jakarta from February 2003 until March 2005.”

The embassy said Kim played a key role in South Korea’s emergency relief and recovery programs after the 2004 tsunami in Aceh. Prior to coming to Jakarta, Kim was the Seoul administration’s special ambassador for international affairs and he played a pivotal role in upgrading Seoul’s partnership with Jakarta and Bandung as sister cities.

Kim joined the Korean foreign service in 1981 and served in Japan, Pakistan and the United States. His first ambassadorial post was in Belgium in 2012. The 58-year-old Kim, who speaks fluent English and Japanese and passable Indonesian, is married and has two sons.