# List of ambassadors of Australia to South Korea

The ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Korea is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the Embassy of the Commonwealth of Australia to the Republic of Korea (South Korea). The position has the rank and status of an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and holds non-resident accreditation with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea).
The current ambassador, since February 2021, is Catherine Raper. The Republic of Korea and Australia have enjoyed diplomatic relations since 1961. In June 1962, Australia opened an embassy in Seoul, and after establishing diplomatic relations with North Korea in 1974, Australia opened an embassy in Pyongyang in April 1975. The embassy closed in November 1975 and relations weren't resumed until May 2000, and the embassy in Seoul has been accredited to North Korea since August 2008, the same time accreditation with Mongolia was transferred from the Embassy in Beijing. The Australian Government established an embassy and appointed a resident ambassador to Mongolia in 2015.

## List of heads of mission

| Ordinal | Officeholder | Title | Term start date | Term end date | Time in office |
| (n/a) | John Petherbridge | Chargé d'Affaires | 5 June 1962 (1962-06-05) | August 1963 (1963-08) | 1 year, 1 month |
| (n/a) | Geoffrey Brady | Chargé d'Affaires | 26 August 1963 (1963-08-26) | February 1964 (1964-02) | 5 months |
| 1 | Roy Albert Peachey | Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Korea | 21 February 1964 (1964-02-21) | 19 June 1968 (1968-06-19) | 4 years, 119 days |
| 2 | Allan Loomes | Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Korea | 19 June 1968 (1968-06-19) | 20 September 1971 (1971-09-20) | 3 years, 93 days |
| 3 | Murray Bourchier | Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Korea | 7 December 1971 (1971-12-07) | 28 January 1975 (1975-01-28) | 3 years, 52 days |
| 4 | John Roger Holdich | Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Korea | 31 March 1975 (1975-03-31) | 30 April 1976 (1976-04-30) | 1 year, 30 days |
| 5 | Donald Jame Horne | Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Korea | 17 June 1976 (1976-06-17) | 22 June 1978 (1978-06-22) | 2 years, 5 days |
| 6 | Geoff Miller | Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Korea | 14 July 1978 (1978-07-14) | 29 June 1980 (1980-06-29) | 1 year, 351 days |
| 7 | Ted Pocock | Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Korea | 12 August 1980 (1980-08-12) | 10 February 1984 (1984-02-10) | 3 years, 182 days |
| 8 | Lance Louis Ettelson Joseph | Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Korea | 12 April 1984 (1984-04-12) | August 1987 (1987-08) | 3 years, 3 months |
| 9 | Richard Broinowski | Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Korea | 28 October 1987 (1987-10-28) | 19 December 1989 (1989-12-19) | 2 years, 52 days |
| 10 | Darren Gribble | Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Korea | 27 February 1990 (1990-02-27) | December 1993 (1993-12) | 3 years, 9 months |
| 11 | Mack Williams | Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Korea | 7 March 1994 (1994-03-07) | 26 March 1998 (1998-03-26) | 4 years, 19 days |
| 12 | Anthony Hely | Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Korea | March 1998 (1998-03) | June 2001 (2001-06) | 3 years, 3 months |
| 13 | Colin Heseltine | Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Korea | 1 August 2001 (2001-08-01) | 9 December 2005 (2005-12-09) | 4 years, 4 months |
| 14 | Peter Brock Rowe | Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Korea | December 2005 (2005-12) | February 2009 (2009-02) | 3 years, 2 months |
| 15 | Sam Gerovich | Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Korea | March 2009 (2009-03) | 16 March 2013 (2013-03-16) | 4 years |
| 16 | Bill Paterson | Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Korea | 16 March 2013 (2013-03-16) | December 2016 (2016-12) | 3 years, 8 months |
| 17 | James Choi | Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Korea | December 2016 (2016-12) | December 2020 (2020-12) | 4 years |
| 18 | Catherine Raper | Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Korea | 17 February 2021 (2021-02-17) | incumbent | 4 years, 9 days |