Sung Kim

Sung Kim
United States Special Representative for North Korea Policy
Assumed office
November 6, 2014
President Barack Obama
Preceded by Stephen Bosworth
United States Ambassador to South Korea
In office
November 25, 2011  October 24, 2014
President Barack Obama
Preceded by Kathleen Stephens
Succeeded by Mark Lippert
United States Special Envoy for the Six-Party Talks
In office
July 31, 2008  October 13, 2011
President George W. Bush
Barack Obama
Preceded by Cameron Munter
Succeeded by Clifford Hart
Personal details
Born 1960 (age 5556)[1]
Seoul, South Korea
Alma mater University of Pennsylvania
Loyola Marymount University
London School of Economics

Sung Y. Kim (born 1960)[1] is a Korean-born U.S. diplomat and the current United States Special Representative for North Korea Policy.[2] He previously served as the United States Ambassador to South Korea and the U.S. Special Envoy for the Six-Party Talks.

Early life and education

Sung Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea in 1960 to a South Korean diplomat and moved to the United States in 1973 following his father's posting in Tokyo.[3] Kim grew up in Los Angeles and is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania (BA), Loyola Law School (JD), London School of Economics (Master's degree).

Professional career

Before joining the United States Foreign Service at the State Department, Kim worked as public prosecutor at the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office.

He then worked as Staff Assistant in the Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs in Washington, D.C.. Kim was then assigned to United States Embassy in Seoul and worked as the Chief of Political Military Affairs. He then served as a Political Officer in Tokyo, Japan. His other assignments were to Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. Back in Washington, he was appointed Director of the Office of Korean Affairs and served in the position from August 2006 to July 2008. On July 31, 2008 he was appointed Special Envoy for the Six-Party talks and accorded the rank of an ambassador after confirmation of nomination by the U.S. Senate.[2]

Ambassador to South Korea

On June 24, 2011, President Obama nominated Kim to be the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea.[4] However, Kim's nomination stalled after U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl placed a hold[5] on Kim's nomination over concerns not with Kim but with U.S. policy toward North Korea. On October 13, 2011 Kyl lifted his hold on Kim's nomination and the Senate confirmed Kim by unanimous consent.[6][7]

Kim completed his assignment to South Korea in late October 2014 and returned to the United States, where he was expected to continue to work on diplomacy involving East Asia. Mark Lippert was sworn in to succeed Kim as ambassador on Oct. 24, 2014, in Washington.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "(Sung Y. Kim (1960-)". U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Sung Kim". U.S. Department of State. November 6, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  3. http://goldsea.com/Text/index.php?id=11094
  4. "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts". =White House Press Release. 2011-06-24. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
  5. "U.S., South Korean presidents hail trade deal". CNN. 2011-10-13. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
  6. "Today's Senate Floor Log". US Senate. 2011-10-13. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
  7. Josh Rogin (2011-10-13). "U.S. Ambassador to South Korea finally confirmed". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2011-10-13.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sung Kim.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Cameron Munter
United States Special Envoy for the Six-Party Talks
2008–2011
Succeeded by
Clifford Hart
Preceded by
Kathleen Stephens
United States Ambassador to South Korea
2011–2014
Succeeded by
Mark Lippert
Preceded by
Stephen Bosworth
United States Special Envoy for North Korea Policy
2014–present
Incumbent
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