H.E. Philippe LAFORTUNE arrived in Seoul in August 2025 and officially presented his credentials to the President of the Republic of Korea on September 29, 2025, becoming Canada’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Korea.
Ambassador Lafortune brings over two decades of experience in defence, security, intelligence, and international affairs. He began his federal public service career at the Department of National Defence, where he held several positions between 2004 and 2009, including Policy Officer and Recruitment Programme Manager.
In 2009, he was posted to Canada’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York as First Secretary, responsible for U.N. peacekeeping policy and financial affairs. He later served as Senior Policy Advisor at the Canadian Joint Operations Command, focusing on domestic operations, continental defence, NORAD, and Canadian Armed Forces engagements in the Americas.
He subsequently held senior defence policy roles related to NATO, parliamentary affairs, and international security policy. In 2020, he joined the Privy Council Office as Director of Strategic Policy and Planning, advising on issues related to Canada’s security and intelligence community. Prior to his appointment to Seoul, he served as Director General of the Intelligence Bureau at Global Affairs Canada.
Ambassador LAFORTUNE holds degrees from Université de Montréal and Université Laval.