By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo

Ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province on October 31, the Donald Trump administration is replacing Joseph Yun, the U.S. Chargé d'Affaires in South Korea.

Appointed by former U.S. President Joe Biden, Yun was named to the position on January 10, ten days before President Trump's term began.

According to diplomatic sources, Kevin Kim, the U.S. State Department’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, is being considered as his successor.

This marks the second time in just nine months since the Trump administration took office that a Chargé d'Affaires, rather than a formal ambassador, has been appointed, a situation considered unusual in U.S.-South Korea diplomatic relations.

According to diplomatic circles, Chargé d'Affaires Yun will step down around October 26 after completing his approximately nine-month assignment. He reportedly recently informed acquaintances of this fact.

Yoon, a Korean-American, previously served in the Obama administration as the State Department's Special Representative for North Korea Policy and as the chief U.S. negotiator in the Six-Party Talks aimed at resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.

His successor is understood to be Deputy Assistant Secretary Kim, who handles Korean Peninsula affairs at the State Department. Kim previously served as a staffer for Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and worked in the Office of the Special Representative for North Korea Policy at the State Department during Trump's first term from 2018 to 2020.

He worked alongside former Special Representative for North Korea Policy Stephen Biegun, who served as Deputy Secretary of State, and was involved in the practical aspects of U.S. diplomacy toward North Korea, including the U.S.-North Korea summits. He is also reported to have played a key role in communications with the South Korean government ahead of the South Korea-U.S. summit last August.