{
  "id": 17883081,
  "title": "Career diplomat vs political appointees: What makes a good diplomat?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/03/career-diplomat-vs-political-appointees-what-makes-a-good-diplomat-17883081",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-03T00:57:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/opinion/20261103/career-diplomat-vs-political-appointees-what-makes-a-good-diplomat"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In October, a high-profile business gala reception took place in a major U.S. city, shrouded in anonymity to safeguard the identities of all involved. The sole exception was the gender of the friend who shared this account, revealing that it pertained to a Korean diplomat present at the event. The attendee, invited as a VIP guest, felt compelled to express her disapproval of the Korean diplomat's mannerisms, which she deemed undiplomatic. The diplomat's excessive clapping, with both hands raised above her head, struck the attendee as peculiar and out of place, given the intimate, invitation-only setting where all guests were esteemed officials. Furthermore, the diplomat's table manners appeared to be a source of concern, as she appeared to habitually use forks in an unconventional manner, adding to the observer's unease.",
  "summary": "In October, a business gala reception was held in one of the 10 largest cities of the United States. Forgive me for not providing further details about the event or the city where it took place. In this column, everything — from the attendees and their names and genders to other details that might help identify the person I am referring to — will remain anonymous to protect their identities. The…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}