Singapore appoints ambassadors to S Korea and Iran

SINGAPORE - Singapore has appointed Mr Yip Wei Kiat as Singapore's Ambassador to the Republic of Korea and Mr Ong Keng Yong as Singapore's Non-Resident Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Iran, in a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

Mr Yip Wei Kiat will assume post as Ambassador to the Republic of Korea on February 23, 2015.

He joined the MFA in 1993 and served as Director-General (Northeast Asia) from February 2012 to August 2014 and as Consul-General in Shanghai from February 2008 to January 2012. He also served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Beijing from November 2005 to December 2007.

Mr Yip graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Economics (Honours) from the London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom, in 1991 under the Singapore Government Scholarship. He obtained a Master of Arts in International Policy Studies in 2001 from Stanford University, United States of America, on a Fulbright scholarship.

Mr Ong Keng Yong is currently Ambassador-at-Large in the MFA, Executive Deputy Chairman of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies and Director of the School's Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies. He is also Singapore's Non-Resident High Commissioner to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Mr Ong had previously served as Singapore's Non‑Resident Ambassador to Iran from February 2009 to July 2011. He was also Singapore's High Commissioner to Malaysia from July 2011 to November 2014, and to India from August 1996 to August 1998. Mr Ong was Secretary-General of ASEAN from January 2003 to January 2008. He also served as Press Secretary to then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong from September 1998 to December 2002 and was Chief Executive Director of the People's Association from 1999 to 2002. In addition, Mr Ong served as Director of the Institute of Policy Studies in the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy from June 2008 to June 2011.

Mr Ong graduated from the University of Singapore with a LLB (Honours) in 1979 and a Master of Arts in Arab Studies (with distinction) from Georgetown University in Washington DC, USA, in 1983.

Mr Ong was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 1997, the Long Service Medal in 2002 and the Meritorious Service Medal in 2008 by the Singapore Government. He received the Medal of Friendship of the Lao People's Democratic Republic in 2007, and the Medal of Sahametrei of the Kingdom of Cambodia in 2007.

candicec@sph.com.sg