Hawkish senator obstructs confirmation of Sung Kim

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- The U.S. State Department is trying to persuade a senior Republican senator to lift a hold on the confirmation of Sung Kim, the nominee to become a new ambassador to South Korea, congressional sources said Monday.

Jon Kyl (R-AZ), assistant minority leader in the Senate, has been blocking the confirmation process for more than a month, according to the sources. He is known as a staunch conservative on foreign policy.

He opposed the ratification of new START arms control treaty and was an advocate of tough sanctions on nuclear-armed North Korea.

It remains unclear, however, why he has placed a hold on the confirmation of Kim, who would become the first Korean-born U.S. ambassador to Seoul if his nomination is approved.

Kim had a confirmation hearing on July 21, and was confirmed by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations a week later. But he has yet to receive consent from the entire Senate.

"Sen. Kyl seems to be placing a hold on Kim's confirmation due to the Obama administration's North Korea policy, but he has not clarified the reason," a source said, requesting anonymity.