Christopher R. Hill: New U.S. Ambassador to Korea

It was revealed on Wednesday that the U.S. Ambassador to Poland Christopher R. Hill (52) will replace U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Thomas C. Hubbard whose term will expire in August.

“Ambassador Hill has been informally designated as the next U.S. Ambassador to Korea,” said a diplomatic source in Seoul. “Only the Senate confirmation hearing and the agreement by the Korean government remain.”

Since becoming a diplomat of the State Department in 1977, Christopher Hill has served as the Senior Director for Southeast European Affairs at the National Security Council (NSC). Prior to his assignment at the NSC, he served as U.S. Ambassador to Macedonia and as a special envoy to Kosovo. Currently, he is the U.S. Ambassador to Poland. He once worked for the U.S. Embassy in Korea in the 1980s.

Ambassador Thomas C. Hubbard was appointed as the successor of Stephen W. Bosworth on May 2001 when he was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.

Seung-Ryun Kim srkim@donga.com