Catherine Raper, the incoming ambassador to South Korea. (Australian Embassy)Australia has tapped Catherine Raper, a senior career diplomat, as its new and the first female ambassador to South Korea, its embassy here said Thursday.

Raper, who most recently served as head of Australia's COVID-19 coordination unit, will be replacing the outgoing envoy, James Choi, who began his term here in 2016. She is expected to formally take office in Seoul in mid-January

Raper has also worked in Taipei, Washington and the Australian Permanent Mission to the World Trade Organization, according to the embassy. (Yonhap)