Colin Crooks is a British diplomat serving as the British Ambassador to the Republic of Korea since February 2022. Previously he served as British Ambassador to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from 2018 to 2021. Prior to serving as the Ambassador to the DPRK, Crooks served in various other positions in Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service, and was the Minister Counsellor at the British Embassy Beijing from 2015 to 2018 and the Chargé d'Affairs to the British Embassy in Pyongyang in 2008. He was posted to Seoul as a Second Secretary from 1995 to 1998 and served as a First Secretary through 1999. He speaks 6 languages including English, Korean, French, Mandarin, German and Indonesian.

The HM Trade Commissioner (HMTC) for Asia Pacific oversees all Department for Business and Trade (DBT) work in North-East Asia, South-East Asia and Australasia. The HMTC also works closely with the wider diplomatic network and UK-based colleagues to coordinate His Majesty’s Government (HMG) activity on our wider prosperity agenda. Martin Kent was appointed His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) for Asia Pacific in September 2023. He joined from an interim posting as the Minister and Deputy Head of Mission in the British Embassy Tokyo. Martin previously served as a Director within the Department for Business and Trade, prior to which he was HM Deputy Trade Commissioner to Africa, based in the British Embassy Cairo.

Tony Clemson is the Director of Trade and Investment for Korea, based in the British Embassy, Seoul.  He leads a team of Department for Department for Business and Trade (DBT) professionals to strengthen commercial partnerships with the UK. Tony’s role is to improve the trade and investment environment wherever possible, support UK companies to access the Korean market, and to help Korean companies to invest in the UK. He previously served in China from 2016 to 2022, initially as the Deputy Consul-General in Shanghai, and later as Deputy Director for Technology & Industry in the Department for International Trade.  In prior diplomatic roles, Tony covered international cyber security policy in London, and political and economic issues in South Korea and New Zealand. Before his Diplomatic Service, Tony served eight years as a Warfare Officer in the Royal Navy, deploying to the Atlantic, Caribbean and Middle East.

Nora Hamdi is currently the Political Secretary in the British Embassy, responsible for the domestic political brief in the team. In London, she previously served on the Caribbean and US desks, and also took part in numerous deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. She has recently completed full time language training, and advises on Embassy engagement with the Korean political sphere.

Luke joined the British Embassy in Seoul as Head of Trade Policy and Market Access in January 2022. Luke previously worked for the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in London covering migration and visa policy, and the Department for International Trade (DIT) covering FTA negotiation capability and digital trade policy. Prior to joining the UK Civil Service, Luke worked for the human rights organistion Amnesty International, supporting their global campaigns as a communications officer. He also spent three years in Korea teaching English. Luke holds an MA in European Interdisciplinary Studies from the College of Europe (Natolin Campus, Poland), and a BA in Archaeology and Ancient History from the University of Leicester (UK).

Katie Wilson is Head of the Economics section at the British Embassy, Seoul. Her portfolio covers key economic issues in Korea including growth, financial services and global economic challenges. Her team aims to build and maintain a strong bilateral relationship between the UK and Korea in economic diplomacy. Before her assignment to Korea, Katie worked as an economist for the FCDO in London, where her roles included Russia-Ukraine economic analysis, Trade for Development, and Open Societies and Human Rights. Katie holds a Masters Degree in Development Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and prior to joining the FCDO, she held positions at WaterAid (gender equality consultant) and the Department for International Trade (programme manager).