Koh himself embodied that argument, serving as Singapore’s permanent representative to the United Nations from 1968 to 1971, and later recalling that when he returned from New York in 1971 the ministry still lacked a formal diplomatic cadre, underscoring the embryonic nature of the nation’s external apparatus.

Over a 55‑year trajectory, Koh occupied the apex of Singapore’s diplomatic architecture—UN permanent representative, ambassador to the United States, ambassador‑at‑large, and chair of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea negotiations—thereby cementing both personal and institutional expertise within the fledgling service.

He repeatedly stresses that small states possess no intrinsic relevance; consequently, Singapore’s foreign‑policy doctrine is anchored in four pillars: safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity, enlarging economic and political space, cultivating the widest possible network of friends while minimizing adversaries, and steadfastly refusing to be coerced by great powers.

The Singaporean experience, as distilled from Koh’s reflections, offers a blueprint: establish a merit‑based diplomatic corps early, preserve institutional memory, adopt a principle of relevance that compels proactive contribution to multilateral institutions, and balance pragmatic realism with idealistic commitment to international law.