Korean FM meets new U.S. ambassador

By Lee Chi-dong

SEOUL, Oct. 1 (Yonhap) -- New U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Kathleen Stephens made an introductory call on Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan Wednesday.

The two began their half-hour meeting with a conversation on a planned program
for former U.S. Peace Corps volunteers who served here in the 1960s and 1970s to
revisit the country.
A total of 61 former volunteers and their families are scheduled to arrive in
Seoul on Sunday for a weeklong stay, sponsored by the Korea Foundation and the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Stephens was a member of Peace Corps. She taught English at a middle school in a
rural town in southern South Korea from 1975-1977, which she said inspired her to
become a diplomat.
"Thank you. I think it would be a very good program," the envoy told Yu during a
photo session at the outset of the closed-door meeting. "Some of these people
have not come back to Korea since 1968 and 1969. It will be quite a revelation."
More than 3,200 Peace Corps volunteers worked in South Korea in various sectors
including English education, public sanitation, and vocational training, from
1966-1981, making contributions to the country's development.
Stephens arrived in South Korea last month to take up her new post. She plans to
submit her credentials to President Lee Myung-bak next week.