By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo

Kevin Kim, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, has been named as acting US ambassador to South Korea, the US Embassy in South Korea announced on October 27, 2025.

"In South Korea, Chargé d'Affaires Kim will work with the Embassy staff and the Korean government to advance the mutual interests and shared values of our two countries and strengthen our unwavering commitment to the ROK-U.S. alliance," the U.S. embassy said on its X (formerly Twitter) account.

Kevin Kim, a Korean-American, graduated from Johns Hopkins University and earned a master's degree in history from the same university. He served as an expert on the Senate Armed Services Committee and as an aide to Republican Senator Bill Hagerty. He also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Japan, Korea, and Mongolia Affairs.

From 2018 to 2020, Kevin Kim served as the Chief of Staff to the Special Representative for North Korea and the Deputy Secretary of state Stephen Biegun and participated in various rounds of U.S.-DPRK nuclear negotiations.

In this capacity, Kim supported President Trump’s efforts to denuclearize North Korea, to include the 2018 Singapore Summit, 2019 Hanoi Summit, and the 2019 DMZ meeting.

The embassy stated, "The Department of State welcomes the appointment of Chargé d'Affaires Kim as the United States works to strengthen our shared security, encourage increased ROK investment in the United States, and strengthen cooperation in other areas of shared interest."

Former acting US ambassador Joseph Yun, appointed in early January before the start of the Trump administration's second term, resigned on October 24. The official ambassadorial post has been vacant for ten months.