White House names Sung Kim as next US envoy to Indonesia

By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora/Philippine News Agency

OUTGOING ENVOY. Ambassador Sung Kim during the US Independence Day celebrations in Makati City. Kim is eyed as the next American top diplomat to Indonesia. (PNA photo by Joyce Ann L. Rocamora)

MANILA — United States Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim is eyed as the next American top diplomat to Indonesia, the White House announced Thursday.

President Donald Trump’s plan to nominate Kim as the US Ambassador to Jakarta comes as the envoy nears the end of his tour of duty in the Philippines this year.

“Ambassador Kim’s extensive history of public service at the Department of State, including as Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Special Envoy for the Six-Party Talks, Director of the Office of Korean Affairs, Special Representative for North Korea Policy, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs,” the White House said.

Kim earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, doctor of jurisprudence degree from Loyola University Law School, and Masters of Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Two years into his post as the US top diplomat in Manila, Kim received the Presidential Meritorious Honor Award in 2018.

Kim assumed his post in the Philippines last December 2016, replacing Philip Goldberg, who served from 2013 to 2016.

The announcement did not mention who will replace Kim as the next US envoy in the Philippines.

On Tuesday, the US Embassy in Manila denied rumors that Kim would be replaced by Mina Chang, the deputy assistant secretary of the State Department Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations.

For the latest updates about this story, visit the Philippine News Agency website

Popular

Palace open to social media, gaming curbs over fake news, violence

By Darryl John Esguerra | Philippine News Agency Malacañang on Tuesday said it is open to proposals to ban social media platforms such as Facebook...

Palace hails ‘2 votes of confidence’ as PH gets rating affirmations

By Darryl John Esguerra | Philippine News Agency Malacañang on Tuesday welcomed back-to-back investment-grade credit rating affirmations for the Philippines, saying the assessments reflect continued...

PBBM orders whole-of-govt efforts to aid recovery of disaster-hit DavOcc town

By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet Still in the process of recovering from a devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake that rattled several provinces in Mindanao on June 8,...

Palace urges discipline amid crisis on improper waste disposal

By Darryl John Esguerra | Philippine News Agency Metro Manila does not face a garbage crisis but a crisis in improper waste disposal, Executive Secretary...