Mongolia’s ambassador sees Lee visit opening new 'golden era' in Seoul-Ulaanbaatar ties

Seoul’s ambassadors are often gastronomes keen to share a taste of their home cuisine. In this series, the Korea JoongAng Daily asks the diplomatic corps to introduce our readers to their favorite restaurants representing cuisine from their homelands, while chatting about issues of interest to our Korean and global audience. — Ed.

President Lee Jae Myung arrives in Ulaanbaatar on Thursday for the first state visit by a South Korean leader to Mongolia in 15 years — a trip Mongolian Ambassador Sukhee Sukhbold has spent much of his post in Seoul quietly lobbying for.

"[Since the last state visit,] exchanges continued, but most of them came from Mongolia. There had been no return state visit from South Korea," Sukhbold said during an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily three days before the visit at Seoul Nomad, a newly-opened Mongolian restaurant in eastern Seoul. "That was my main focus."

It's a visit that underscores an unusual balancing act.

Mongolia has been one of South Korea's closest partners in the region for over three decades. But its ties with the North run even longer, and remain unbroken.

Mongolia’s embassy in Pyongyang, Sukhbold said, "has operated continuously without disruption, even through the pandemic," a legacy stretching back to the 1950-53 Korean War, when Mongolia took in and fed North Korean evacuees as other countries shuttered their missions. Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong-un's grandfather, visited the country twice.

That history has made Mongolia something of a diplomatic bridge — a role it has tried to formalize through the annual Ulaanbaatar Dialogue, multilateral talks on regional security held since 2014, which South Korea's unification minister attended this year. It's also why Mongolia is periodically floated as a possible venue for a potential summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump.

While nothing is set yet, Sukhbold said cautiously that if anything becomes more concrete, his government will stand ready to provide “logistics” or “whatever is needed” to host such talks.

That position hasn't stopped Mongolia from embracing the South just as closely.

Walk down a street in Ulaanbaatar today and the storefronts could almost be Seoul's: CU and GS25 convenience stores on the corners, Lotteria and Mom's Touch burger joints and Emart among the country's biggest retailers. The secret behind this commercial invasion, Sukhbold explained, goes far beyond business metrics — it is rooted in a shared identity and ancestral ties.

"Maybe it's because we are connected by blood, or reconnected through culture," he said. "You will not see so many Chinese restaurants, even in the capital" — this in a country wedged between China and Russia.

Sukhbold, a career diplomat who began as a junior official at the United Nations — and, before that, a child jockey — arrived in Seoul in 2024 as his first bilateral posting.

Below are excerpts from the interview, edited for length and clarity.

Q. This will be President Lee's first trip to Mongolia, and a Korea leader's first state visit there in 15 years. How did it come about?

A. President Lee's visit will come 15 years after Lee Myung-bak paid a state visit in 2011. Since that time, exchanges have continued, but most of them came from the Mongolian side. We really appreciate that your president's office has accepted our invitation. Not only that — after 15 years, we also marked the 35th anniversary of our diplomatic relations last year.

The "Golden Era of Korea-Mongolia Relations" Joint Declaration is expected to present a shared vision for Mongolia-Korea relations and provide a roadmap for advancing our strategic partnership in the years ahead. Traditionally and historically, in our own expression — even in Korean — when we have something unique, a different historical moment, we always compare it with gold. It's like a new era for cooperation, and it will be intensified.

What's on the agenda?

Our two leaders will meet and discuss bilateral relations, strengthening cooperation in trade and investment, especially in rare earths, as well as in education, health and environment. 

Why is Mongolia positioning itself as a partner in critical minerals and rare earths specifically?

Mongolia offers abundant natural resources, while Korea brings advanced technologies, industrial expertise and innovation. Together, we can build resilient supply chains that benefit both economies. Your government has just announced a very ambitious plan — in the next four years, Korea is going to be one of the top three countries in AI. That means you will require certain mineral resources. Nowadays you are heavily dependent on China, so Mongolia can be one of the partners in the supply chain.

The Second National Cancer Center is a flagship medical initiative leveraging Korean expertise. What concrete progress has been made ahead of the summit?

The Mongolian government has allocated specific land for the hospital. We are now building up the infrastructure — not the hospital itself yet. Last year, we proposed financing to the Korean government. This year, Korea's Finance Ministry will conduct a feasibility study for the cancer center. Once that comes back, we will talk about the next step for financing.

You mentioned environment is also on the agenda. What's the main initiative there?

One of our most successful cooperation efforts is the Greenbelt Project, launched in 2007 with Korea's forest service, which has supported afforestation and helped fight desertification and yellow dust across the region for nearly two decades. We expect the two sides to launch its fourth phase during President Lee's visit.

What role can Mongolia play in easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula?

Since 1992, when we declared our nuclear-weapon-free status at the UN, we have been trying to be the mediator, or a platform for engaging all stakeholders discussing peace and security in Northeast Asia.

Since 2014, we have hosted the Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on Northeast Asian Security, bringing together government officials, scholars and experts from both Koreas, the United States, China, Russia, Japan and other countries to discuss regional security and confidence-building measures. We were particularly pleased that Unification Minister Chung Dong-young participated at this year's forum and shared his proposal to revive dialogue on the Korean Peninsula.

Our role is not to produce dramatic breakthroughs, but to help keep channels of communication open. Especially during times of heightened tension, maintaining dialogue is itself an important contribution to regional peace and security.

Mongolia is often floated as a potential venue if U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong-un were to meet again. What's your reaction to that speculation?

If we are the big potential candidate for hosting a summit, then we could look at our logistics or preparations, whatever is needed. But I can't say now.

Given Mongolia's position between Russia and China, how do you explain its "Third Neighbor" foreign policy?

You could read our foreign policy concept in English — it clearly lists who the third neighbors are, but it doesn't mean we are lining them up or numbering them. South Korea is one of them, but South Korea is very unique, very close.

Multilateralism has become a real buzzword lately, but some argue that it doesn't work anymore. Does this affect how Mongolia, as a small country, approaches its overall diplomacy?

The first reason for the UN's establishment was to build peace and security — that was the main mandate. Unfortunately, the UN has taken on its own broader mandate, and it doesn't have sufficient human and financial resources to maintain peace and security, which was the main aim. But for Mongolia, as a small country, we always rely on the UN and a rules-based international order. That's why my government's policy concentrates on a multi-pillar foreign policy — we have to communicate with everyone, including the UN, because it's also our platform for engaging with others.

Where do you see the deepest cultural connections between Mongolia and Korea?

We have many common senses, and historically we've been connected for a long time. During the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C. to A.D. 935), around ten Korean students were sent to Mongolia to study the Mongolian language. Later, during the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368), Korean crown princes had to go to Mongolia to be trained and endorsed before they could be proclaimed king. Even Andong soju was made using a methodology from Mongolia. And all Mongolians are born with the Mongolian spot, as are Koreans — so we're connected by blood, language and culture.

What are the characteristics of Mongolian food?

Because we're nomadic, we move at least four times a year, following our animals. That's why we don't really make banchan (side dishes) the way you do in Korea — our food is simple, but always tied to nature. In winter we mostly eat meat, but in summer, we mostly eat yogurt and drink milk.

For khorkhog, we put everything in a pot, heat stones, add a small amount of water and meat, and vegetables if you like. You have to feel the stone with your fingers to check if it's hot enough — it's almost medicinal. If your fingers can just barely stand the heat, your blood circulation speeds up, which is considered good, like a form of traditional medicine. Making it properly takes a lot of preparation work, which is why it's treated as a special welcome dish for guests. Even now, when I go back home, I go out to the countryside with friends to do this.

Horseback racing is considered a universal experience for most Mongolian kids growing up. What about your own experience?

I grew up as a child jockey. I spent many years around our livestock. Herders would sometimes ask me to ride for them, and I'd say yes. I rode for three years, then I was "fired" because I was too heavy! At ten years old I was already about 24 kilograms (52 pounds), which is too heavy for long-distance horse racing. Some kids can keep riding even at twelve, if they stay small enough.

What's your favorite Korean dish?

I already have it in my mind — I like samgyetang. I arrived two years ago, just in the middle of the cold season — I didn't know that Koreans eat samgyetang during the hot weather. A friend invited me to a restaurant for the first time, and I tasted it, and I loved it. Every summer, I go almost every week — even yesterday, I went.

BY SEO JI-EUN   [[email protected]]