Kim, Sung Yong, 1960-

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Sung Yong Kim (Korean: 김성용; born 1960) is a South Korean-born American diplomat and the current United States Ambassador to the Philippines as well as the former United States Special Representative for North Korea Policy. He previously served as the United States Ambassador to South Korea and the U.S. Special Envoy for the Six-Party Talks. On July 10, 2019, the White House announced that he will be appointed to be Ambassador to Indonesia.

Born in Seoul, South Korea in 1960 to a South Korean diplomat, Kim moved to the United States in 1973 following his father's posting in Tokyo. He grew up in Los Angeles and is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania (BA, 1982), Loyola Law School (JD, 1985), and the London School of Economics (LL.M). He also holds an honorary degree from the Catholic University of Korea. 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.

Kim served as Special Representative for North Korea Policy and Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, 2014-2016. He was Special Envoy for the Six Party Talks at the U.S. Department of State (2008-2011), and Director of the Office of Korean Affairs in the Department’s Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs (2006-2008). He served as Political-Military Unit Chief at U.S. Embassy Seoul, Korea (2002-2006), Political Officer at U.S. Embassy Tokyo, Japan (1999-2002), and as Political-Military Officer in the Office of Chinese Affairs in the Department’s Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs (1997-1999). Early in his career, Kim was Political Officer at U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Staff Assistant in the Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs, Economic Officer at U.S. Embassy Seoul, and Vice Consul at U.S. Consulate Hong Kong.

On June 24, 2011, President Obama nominated Kim to be the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea. However, Kim's nomination stalled after U.S. Senator Jon Kyl placed a hold 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. 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. In May 2014, near the end of his tenure, Kim was honored by the Asia Society for his service in Korea. Jonathan Karp, executive director of Asia Society, said Kim has done a lot to advance relations between the U.S. and Korea as a representative of the Obama administration. He was also named an honorary citizen of Seoul by Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon.

On May 19, 2016, U.S. President Obama nominated Kim to replace Philip Goldberg as the U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 28, 2016 and was sworn in by Secretary of State John Kerry at the Department of State on Thursday, November 3, 2016. Kim arrived in Manila on December 3, a month after he was sworn in, and presented his credentials to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on December 6. While Ambassador to the Philippines, Kim led a delegation of American diplomats to hold talks with North Korean officials in Panmunjom in late May 2018. These talks were in regards to the upcoming summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un.

He has won numerous Department of State performance awards, including a Presidential Meritorious Honor Award (2018). He speaks Korean and Japanese.

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Role Title Holding Repository
Place Name Admin Code Country
District of Columbia DC US
Los Angeles CA US
Tokyo 40 JP
Seoul 11 KR
Subject
Occupation
Ambassadors
Diplomats
Foreign service officers
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Person

Birth 1960

Male

Koreans,

Americans

Japanese,

English,

Korean

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