The U.S. government’s plan to appoint Kevin Kim, a senior State Department official overseeing East Asian affairs, as acting envoy to South Korea has fueled renewed speculation that President Donald Trump may be preparing a fresh diplomatic overture toward North Korea.
According to diplomatic sources, Kim, who currently serves as deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs overseeing Korea, Japan and Mongolia, is expected to succeed Joseph Yun as chargé d’affaires.
Yun, who has led the U.S. Embassy in Seoul in an acting capacity since January, is set to leave his post this Friday. Kim’s appointment, which does not require a formal credentials process, is expected to take effect in the coming days, with some sources suggesting it could be as soon as Saturday.
The timing of the change has surprised local observers, as Yun had been widely anticipated to remain in his post until the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, later this month. Trump is expected to visit the city on Oct. 29 for a day or two.
Kevin Kim, the U.S. State Department’s deputy assistant secretary for Japan, Korea and Mongolia, has been tapped as the new U.S. acting ambassador to Seoul. Courtesy of U.S. Department of State
The abrupt transition has raised questions among officials in Seoul.
“It would have been awkward for the Trump administration to keep Yun for too long, given that he was appointed under the previous Joe Biden administration. Still, replacing the top envoy just days before the president’s visit is highly unusual,” a diplomatic source said on condition of anonymity.
Kim is considered a seasoned expert in Korean Peninsula diplomacy. He has made several visits to Seoul, including in July when he met foreign ministry officials to discuss enhancing the Korea-U.S. alliance.
Some analysts see his appointment as signaling the U.S. government’s focus not only on Seoul-Washington relations but also on dialogue with North Korea.
From 2018 to 2020, Kim served as chief of staff to then-Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun, playing a key role in coordinating U.S.–North Korea nuclear negotiations. His involvement included the Singapore summit in June 2018, the Hanoi summit in February 2019 and a meeting at the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjeom in June 2019.
Kim’s expected arrival as acting envoy has intensified speculation that Trump might try for a surprise meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un while visiting Korea. The U.S. president has repeatedly signaled his intention to reengage with Kim, while Kim has not completely ruled out the U.S. as a negotiating partner.
Last Saturday, CNN reported that Trump’s team is privately discussing a meeting with Kim, though neither logistics nor direct contact with Pyongyang have been confirmed.
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the border village of Panmunjeom in the Demilitarized Zone between the two Koreas, June 30, 2019. AP-Yonhap
Adding to the speculation, the United Nations Command decided to suspend public tours to Panmunjeom during the APEC period. The Ministry of Unification also said there will be no ministry-operated field trips to the truce village from late October to early November.
But Lim Eul-chul, an expert on North Korea at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, remained cautious about the prospects for a Trump-Kim summit in the coming weeks.
“For Kim Jong-un, who remains highly cautious after past failed negotiations, any new meeting with Trump comes with pressure to produce tangible results, and this requires careful working-level coordination. So far, there is little evidence that such preparation is underway,” Lim said, noting that Kevin Kim’s appointment appears aimed more at fostering North Korea’s engagement in the long term.
Meanwhile, the announcement of a new U.S. acting envoy suggests that the formal appointment of an ambassador to Seoul could be delayed further.
Since taking office in January, Trump has yet to nominate a new envoy to Seoul, a post that requires Senate confirmation. Diplomatic sources said Washington has not yet requested the formal credentialing process from Seoul’s foreign ministry, which is required for an ambassadorial appointment.
In comparison, U.S. ambassadorial posts to Beijing and Tokyo were filled far more quickly. Weeks after taking office, Trump nominated former Sen. David Perdue for Beijing and appointed George Glass to Tokyo, with both assuming their roles by May.