U.S. Ambassador to Korea Philip Goldberg to retire in January

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U.S. Ambassador to Korea Philip Goldberg to retire in January

Published: 27 Nov. 2024, 11:11

U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg delivers a speech at an event commemorating U.S. Independence Day at a hotel in Seoul on July 3. [YONHAP]

U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg will retire and depart Seoul in January, a diplomatic source said Wednesday, following 35 years of diplomatic service including two and a half years in Seoul.

Goldberg, a career ambassador, the highest diplomatic rank in the U.S. foreign service, assumed office in Seoul in July 2022, one a half years after his predecessor, Harry Harris, departed in time for the inauguration of President Joe Biden.

"U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Philip S. Goldberg will retire from the foreign service and depart Seoul in January after more than three and a half decades of extraordinary service to the United States," the source told Yonhap News Agency on condition of anonymity.

"His distinguished career includes two and a half years of service in the Republic of Korea, strengthening bilateral ties between these allies and working to enhance trilateral relations with Japan," the source added.

After his retirement, Joy Sakurai, the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, is expected to serve as the charge d'affaires. Goldberg's replacement is likely to be picked after President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20.

During his term in Korea, Goldberg has been deeply involved in efforts by Seoul and Washington to deepen and broaden the bilateral alliance and enhance trilateral cooperation with Japan in the face of shared challenges, including North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats.

Goldberg previously served as ambassador to Colombia, the Philippines and Bolivia and the assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research.

The ambassador also worked as the coordinator for the Implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1874 on North Korea from 2009-2010 — a period when he built his expertise on the regime.

The coordinator position was to ensure the enforcement of sanctions imposed in the aftermath of the North's second underground nuclear test in 2009.

The ambassador earned a Bachelor of Science degree magna cum laude in journalism from Boston University.

Yonhap