Michael DeSombre confirmed as senior U.S. diplomat for Asia-Pacific, expected to play major role in potential talks with North
Published: 09 Oct. 2025, 16:43
Updated: 09 Oct. 2025, 19:21
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
![Michael DeSombre, newly appointed U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/10/09/74feb7dc-b35f-4887-ac6e-47336b6f13b5.jpg)
Michael DeSombre, newly appointed U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs [SCREEN CAPTURE]
Michael DeSombre, U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee for assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Tuesday — nearly seven months after his nomination was announced on March 11.
DeSombre was confirmed by a Senate vote of 51 in favor and 47 against, according to the U.S. Congress website on Wednesday.
DeSombre will now formally assume the post responsible for managing diplomatic affairs related to the Korean Peninsula — including both South and North Korea — as well as China, Taiwan, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Pacific island nations such as Australia and New Zealand.
He is also expected to play a central role if U.S.-North Korea dialogue — a top priority for Trump — resumes during the administration’s second term.
DeSombre, who met his wife Jean, who is of Korean descent, while attending Harvard Law School, speaks conversational Korean and has four children. Having lived in Asia for nearly 20 years — including in Hong Kong — he is also fluent in Chinese and is considered one of the State Department’s leading experts on East Asia.
He had been a strong contender to succeed Daniel Russel as assistant secretary during Trump’s first term and later served as the U.S. ambassador to Thailand from March 2020 to January 2021.
As ambassador, DeSombre aligned closely with the Trump administration’s foreign policy stance, frequently criticizing the Chinese government through op-eds on issues such as the South China Sea and the Covid-19 pandemic.
![Michael DeSombre, newly appointed U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs, is seen with his family in a photo posted on LinkedIn [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/10/09/fad086b5-aa8d-4dbb-8c89-6e74e076f597.jpg)
Michael DeSombre, newly appointed U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs, is seen with his family in a photo posted on LinkedIn [SCREEN CAPTURE]
He also spent many years as an attorney at the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell LLP.
“Since moving to Hong Kong in 1997, he has focused his practice on public and private merger and acquisition transactions, leveraged buyouts, joint ventures and direct investments in China, Korea, Southeast Asia and elsewhere in Asia,” the law firm’s website on DeSombre reads.
When nominating DeSombre in March, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he "is a graduate, magna cum laude, of Harvard Law School, and has a Bachelor's [in] Quantitative Economics and Master's degree [in] East Asian Studies from Stanford University, where he did his thesis on Chinese nuclear weapon strategy.”
“I know Michael will work incredibly hard for our country,” Trump added.
“If confirmed, I will apply my background in law, commerce, strategic issues and diplomacy in Asia to implement the President’s foreign policy priorities in the Indo Pacific,” DeSombre said during his Senate confirmation hearing on May 15.
“I will ensure that all foreign policy decisions follow the Secretary’s test: does this make us safer? Does this make us stronger? Does this make us more prosperous?” he added, signaling his firm commitment to the “America First” framework of Trump’s Indo-Pacific strategy.
![John Noh, nominee for assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Oct. 7. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/10/09/5619a49a-db07-4d22-96ac-b414313d3cdd.jpg)
John Noh, nominee for assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Oct. 7. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
Separately, John Noh, a Korean-American nominee for assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, also testified at his Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing on Tuesday.
Noh identified China as the region’s top military threat and called for significant increases in defense contributions and operational capabilities from key allies such as Korea and Japan. He also emphasized the need for allied cooperation in countering Beijing’s growing influence.
Noh’s role covers security policy and defense strategy for the Korean Peninsula, China, Japan and Southeast Asia — a key post in the U.S. Indo-Pacific defense establishment.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM HYOUNG-GU [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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