Acting US envoy departs Seoul with possible new role on NK issues

Kevin Kim, then-acting U.S. ambassador to South Korea, speaks during a meeting with ruling Democratic Party of Korea leader Rep. Jung Chung-rae at the National Assembly in Seoul, Dec. 2, 2025. Yonhap

Kevin Kim, who had been serving as the acting U.S. ambassador to South Korea for roughly two months, has departed the post, further prolonging the lack of a formally appointed American envoy in Seoul.

Kim recently informed Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs of his departure, diplomatic sources said Wednesday. He is said to have traveled to the United States for Christmas and did not return to Seoul.

Kim took up the post in October last year and played a key role in coordinating U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit later that month, as well as a bilateral summit with President Lee Jae Myung held on the sidelines of that event.

Following Kim's departure, James Heller, the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy, will serve as charge d'affaires for the time being, the embassy said in a notice posted on its website.

"For the time being, Deputy Chief of Mission James Heller is expected to continue close communication with our side as acting charge d'affaires," a foreign ministry official said. The official declined to comment on Kim's next post or the circumstances of his sudden exit.

James Heller, charge d’affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul / Courtesy of U.S. Embassy

Within diplomatic circles, Kim's abrupt departure is seen as driven by the need for him to fulfill a role in Washington, rather than by issues related to his duties in South Korea.

He is widely believed to be taking on responsibilities related to Korean Peninsula issues at the U.S. Department of State, with speculation growing that he will work as a senior adviser to Allison Hooker, the under secretary of state for political affairs.

Given that both Hooker and Kim were involved in the U.S.-North Korea summits during the first Trump administration, observers say the latest personnel reshuffle may reflect the need for hands-on experience as Washington prepares for the possibility of renewed dialogue with Pyongyang.

For officials in Seoul, Kim's abrupt departure is expected to delay the appointment of a U.S. Senate-confirmed ambassador, a development critics say could hinder close policy coordination between the two allies.

According to diplomatic sources, Washington has yet to request formal credentialing from the foreign ministry, a required step in the process of appointing an ambassador.

The post of U.S. ambassador to Seoul has remained vacant since Philip Goldberg, who was appointed under the previous Joe Biden administration, stepped down in January last year ahead of Trump's inauguration.

Since then, Joseph Yun, a former U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, and Kim have served successively as acting ambassador.

Delays with the U.S. government in appointing an envoy to Seoul are not without precedent. The ambassadorial post remained vacant for 16 months before Goldberg took office in July 2022, and for 18 months before Harry Harris assumed the post in July 2018.