New U.S. ambassador Philip Goldberg arrives in Seoul

Diplomacy

Published: 11 Jul. 2022, 15:25 Updated: 11 Jul. 2022, 19:17

New U.S. ambassador Philip Goldberg arrives in Seoul

Philip Goldberg, the new American ambassador to Korea, speaks with the press upon his arrival at Incheon International Airport on Sunday. [YONHAP]

Philip Goldberg, the new American ambassador to Korea, arrived in Seoul on Sunday to fill a position that has been vacant for nearly two years.

"I'm honored to represent the American people and President [Joe] Biden at this very important moment in our relations," Goldberg told the press upon his arrival at Incheon International Airport on Sunday.

“Relations between the U.S. and the Republic of Korea were forged in conflict, a great alliance, and now we're moving, thanks to agreements between our two presidents, to a global partnership.”

Goldberg’s arrival comes as Seoul and Washington are ramping up combined security and defense exercises amid warnings by intelligence experts that Pyongyang could conduct a seventh nuclear test.

Goldberg’s predecessor, Harry Harris, left the post in January 2021. His official duty as ambassador will begin after he submits his credentials to President Yoon Suk-yeol.

Goldberg’s background as an enforcer of the UN sanctions on North Korea was highlighted after he was nominated for the post earlier this year.

North Korea has conducted 18 rounds of missile tests since the beginning of the year, firing 31 missiles including an intercontinental ballistic missile in May, and breaking its record of 25 missiles in a year in 2019.

Goldberg was the U.S. coordinator for the implementation of UN sanctions on North Korea from 2009 to 2010 during the Barack Obama administration.

His experience as a negotiator dates to the Dayton Peace Conference, which put an end to the Bosnian War in 1995. As a special assistant to top negotiator and ambassador Richard Holbrooke, Goldberg was a member of the American negotiating team in the lead-up to the peace conference and chief of staff for the American delegation.

Goldberg is a career ambassador, the highest rank in the U.S. Foreign Service, having served as ambassador to the Philippines and Bolivia before heading the mission in Colombia from 2019 to last month.

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]