Outgoing U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Sung Kim left for the United States Friday, after ending his three-year tenure.
After his return to Washington, Kim will serve as deputy assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs at the State Department and also special representative for North Korea policy, diplomatic sources said.
Kim, the first U.S. diplomatic mission chief in Seoul of Korean descent, assumed the ambassadorial post in November 2011.
Incoming U.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert is scheduled to arrive in Seoul Oct. 29, according to the sources.
Lippert served as chief of staff of Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel. After President Barack Obama's first inauguration in January 2009, he worked as chief of staff for the White House National Security Council (NSC) and assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
