Colin Crooks
Colin Crooks | |
|---|---|
Crooks in 2017 | |
| British Ambassador to South Korea | |
| Assumed office March 2022 | |
| Monarchs | Elizabeth II Charles III |
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson Liz Truss Rishi Sunak Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Simon Smith |
| British Ambassador to North Korea | |
| In office December 2018 – December 2021 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Theresa May Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | Alastair Morgan |
| Succeeded by | David Ellis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 February 1969 |
| Spouse | Young-kee Crooks |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
Colin James Crooks LVO (born 18 February 1969) is a British diplomat serving as the British Ambassador to the Republic of Korea since 2022.
He was born in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, and read French and German at Cambridge University.[1][2]
He joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1992.[1]
Previously he served as British Ambassador to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from December 2018 to December 2021.[3]
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.[3]
In May 2020, Crooks announced via Twitter that the Pyongyang embassy had been evacuated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]
Sources
- ^ a b "Lockdown, karaoke and waving at the secret police: Co Tyrone diplomat Colin Crooks lifts lid on life inside North Korea". Belfast Telegraph. 28 May 2021. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ^ McClements, Freya. "Ulster diplomat's lessons from North Korea: 'Keep talking'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ^ a b "Colin Crooks". HM Government. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
- ^ "UK closes embassy, pulls diplomats from North Korea over coronavirus restrictions". Reuters. Archived from the original on 28 May 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.