Outgoing Irish ambassador reflects on 4 years in Korea

Michelle Winthrop has been Ireland's top envoy to Seoul since 2022.

In her four years as ambassador, she has focused on strengthening the growing relationship between Ireland and Korea in several areas, including trade and investment, education, culture, innovation and shared democratic values.

She will be remembered as a prominent advocate for mental health and well-being, encouraging more open conversations about emotional resilience, inclusive workplaces and healthy communities.

She has spoken frequently about the importance of prioritizing mental health alongside economic and social development.

Winthrop has only been with the Irish Foreign Service about 10 years, but she has a long background of working in development cooperation.

She previously worked in Africa, particularly Ethiopia, East Africa, Indonesia and Latin America.

While her time here coming to a close, she met with The Korea Times on June 18 to reflect on her time here.

Q.

What were your first impressions when you arrived in Korea?

In Ireland, we have one-tenth the population of Korea but it's the same landmass size.

My ...