Korean-American ambassador to Seoul

The "spoils system," in which the government grants a public post for money, remains in the U.S. even in the 21st century. The most representative position subject to the system is ambassador. U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos is a California lawyer who mobilized and donated 500,000 U.S. dollars to President Barack Obama to support his election. U.S. Ambassador to Britain Louis Susman is a former Citigroup vice chairman who paid 250,000 dollars to the Democratic Party and an additional 50,000 dollars for Obama`s inauguration ceremony. U.S. Ambassador to France Charles Ruvkin, who is a former analyst with Salomon Brothers, also raised more than half million dollars for Obama as well.

The post of U.S. ambassador to Korea seems to be a job that is deemed stressful rather than one people are willing to pay to get. Most American ambassadors to Korea since the 1980s have been career diplomats. Incumbent ambassador Kathleen Stephens and her predecessors Alexander Vershbow, Christopher Hill, Thomas Hubbard, Stephen Bosworth and James Lilley were also diplomats with practical experience. Donald Gregg was a former CIA official who worked extensively in Asia, while Richard Walker was a scholar of East Asian studies.

Sung Kim, U.S. special envoy for the six-party nuclear talks, will replace Stephens as U.S. ambassador to Korea. Pending Senate ratification, he will become the first ethnic Korean to serve as U.S. ambassador to Korea. Kim, whose Korean name is Kim Sung-yong, immigrated to the U.S. when he was in the seventh grade. He served as a prosecutor after graduating from law school and then pursued a career in diplomacy. His wife is also an ethnic Korean and they have two daughters. In April, President Obama nominated ethnic Chinese and incumbent Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, an ethnic Chinese, as U.S. ambassador to China. Locke is also the first ethnic Chinese to be named U.S. ambassador to China and is awaiting Senate ratification. No ethnic Japanese has been named the top U.S. diplomat to Japan yet.

Kim is fluent in both Korean and English and has a deep understanding of Korean history and sentiment. Outgoing ambassador Stephens, a former Peace Corps member who worked in Korea, has held daily conversations in Korean but uses an interpreter when discussing detailed issues. Kim`s appointment is an opportunity to upgrade Korean-U.S. ties but he remains an American diplomat who works to serve U.S. national interests. Seoul should refrain from expecting too much from Kim given that Robert Kim, who served a prison term after being convicted of leaking classified military intelligence to Korea as a member of the U.S. Navy`s intelligence bureau.

Editorial Writer Song Pyeong-in (pisong@donga.com)