Yun, Joseph Y. (Joseph Yuosang), 1954-

<p>Joseph Yuosang Yun (born 1954) is a former top American diplomat and one of the nation's leading experts on North Korea. From October 2016 to March 2018, he served as the United States Special Representative for North Korea Policy and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Korea and Japan.</p>

<p>Previous senior diplomatic assignments include United States Ambassador to Malaysia, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the State Department Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Deputy Assistant Secretary.</p>

<p>Born in Seoul, Yun left South Korea for Nigeria in 1964, following his father, a doctor with the World Health Organization. Yun was educated from middle school on in the United Kingdom, earning his bachelor's degree from Cardiff University in 1976, and Master of Science and Master of Philosophy degrees from the London School of Economics. He met his wife, Melanie Billings-Yun, at LSE and they were married in 1977. They have one son, Matthew Yun.</p>

<p>Yun joined the United States Foreign Service in 1985. In 2000, following tours in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Washington, DC, Paris, and Seoul, he was appointed Economic Counselor in the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, managing economic, labor and environmental issues. In 2004 he attended the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies, then took a 6-month assignment as senior adviser on the State Department Korea Desk. He returned to the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, in 2005 as the Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs, in charge of domestic, regional, and bilateral political issues.</p>

<p>In 2009 Yun was posted back in Washington as Director of the State Department Office of Maritime Southeast Asia. The following year he was named Deputy Assistant Secretary for Southeast Asia, and in 2011 he was appointed Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (EAP). During his time in EAP, Yun worked closely on President Obama's Asian rebalance policy, especially in Southeast Asia. Notable accomplishments included the diplomatic normalization of American relations with Myanmar, the establishment of a US mission for ASEAN, and the inauguration of United States participation in the annual East Asian Summit.</p>

<p>For his work, the State Department has honored him with a Presidential Meritorious Service Award, three Superior Honors Awards, and nine Foreign Service Performance Awards.</p>

<p>Nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as Ambassador to Malaysia on July 23, 2013, Yun was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on August 1. As Ambassador, Yun emphasized stronger bilateral ties between the United States and Malaysia in all aspects: security, diplomatic, economic and people-to-people. During his three-year tenure, President Obama visited Malaysia twice, in 2014 and 2015. Prior to those trips, the last US President to visit Malaysia was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966. During his 2014 visit, President Obama and Prime Minister Najib Razak signed the Comprehensive Partnership Agreement, pledging the United State and Malaysia to work closely together on security, business, education and technology issues. Yun also inaugurated the Oregon-Sabah Collaborative, bringing together private citizens, local governments, universities and civil society from the two states to promote educational exchange, forest and wildlife conservation, and business ties. For his work in this area, Yun received the Individual Achievement Award from the Oregon Consular Corps in 2016.</p>

<p>On October 17, 2016, Yun assumed the office of United States Special Representative for North Korea Policy, heading all coordination and implementation of US policy toward North Korea, especially concerned with denuclearization. Concurrently, he held the office Deputy Assistant Secretary for Korea and Japan, managing relations with America's principal allies in developing a coordinated policy toward North Korea.</p>

<p>Yun retired from the US State Department on March 2, 2018. He is now a Senior Advisor with The Asia Group and the United States Institute of Peace, and is a Global Affairs Analyst for CNN.</p>

<p>Ambassador Joseph Y. Yun is a Senior Advisor at The Asia Group. Widely recognized as one of the leading experts on U.S. relations with North Korea, as well as Washington’s broader approach to the Asia-Pacific, he brings over three decades of insights and expertise to bolster the firm’s Korea and Southeast Asia portfolios.</p>

<p>Ambassador Yun previously served as the Special Representative for North Korea Policy from October 2016 to May 2018. He played an instrumental role in reopening the “New York channel,” a direct communication line with officials from Pyongyang. During this time, he concurrently held the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Korea and Japan, responsible for all aspects of bilateral relations with the two treaty allies.</p>

<p>As U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia, he emphasized stronger ties between the United States and Malaysia by fostering cooperation on issues of mutual interest, including trade and investment, climate change, energy security, counter-terrorism, and the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. During his tenure, Ambassador Yun also coordinated the state visit of then-President Obama in April 2014, which marked the first visit to Malaysia by a U.S. president since 1966. These efforts culminated in the signing of the U.S.-Malaysia Comprehensive Partnership Agreement, which pledged closer cooperation on security, trade, education, technology, energy, environment, and people-to-people ties.</p>

<p>From 2011 to 2013, Ambassador Yun served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and led efforts to normalize diplomatic relations with Myanmar. In 2010, he became the first senior U.S. diplomat to visit Myanmar since the release of Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest. He also worked to lay the foundation for official participation by the President of the United States in the annual East Asian Summits.</p>

<p>His previous assignments also included Deputy Assistant Secretary for Southeast Asian Affairs, Counselor for Political Affairs in the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, Economic Counselor in the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, as well as earlier assignments in South Korea, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and France. Ambassador Yun is the recipient of a Presidential Meritorious Service Award, four Superior Honors Awards, and nine Foreign Service Performance Awards from the U.S. State Department.</p>

<p>In addition to his role at The Asia Group, Ambassador Yun regularly contributes to CNN’s coverage of international economic and security developments as a Global Affairs Analyst.</p>

<p>Prior to joining the Foreign Service in 1985, Ambassador Yun was a senior economist for Data Resources Inc., an economic data distributor based in Lexington, Massachusetts. Ambassador Yun holds degrees from the London School of Economics and the University of Wales.</p>

<p>He speaks Korean, Indonesian and French. He is married to Dr. Melanie Billings-Yun. They have one son, Matthew.</p>