Seoul welcomes US Senate approval of Goldberg as new American ambassador to Korea

Then-U.S. ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg waits for a Philippine Air Force ceremony to start in this 2016 file photo. The U.S. Senate approved Goldberg as the next American ambassador to Korea, Thursday. Yonhap

By Kwon Mee-yoo

The South Korean government welcomed the U.S. Senate's approval of Philip Goldberg as the new American ambassador to the South, filling a position which was vacant for nearly 16 months.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement Friday welcoming Goldberg.

"We will assist Mr. Goldberg to take the U.S. ambassador to Korea position smoothly and contribute to strengthening (South) Korea-U.S. ties," a ministry official said.

U.S. President Joe Biden appointed Goldberg as the new American ambassador to South Korea on Feb. 11 and the U.S. Senate voted unanimously to approve his nomination, Thursday, just a day after the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations chose to endorse him.

Sen. Jon Ossoff (Democrat, Georgia) urged that it is critical for the U.S. to have a resident ambassador in Seoul, considering North Korea's continuous missile threats.

“South Korea is one of our most important trading partners. South Korea is one of our most important security partners. We need a U.S. ambassador to lead our mission in South Korea,” Ossoff said before the vote.

If appointed, Goldberg will replace Harry Harris, who stepped down in early 2021 when Biden took office.

The U.S. president plans to visit South Korea on May 20 and hold a summit with his counterpart, Yoon Suk-yeol, on May 21, so Goldberg is likely to proceed to his post in South Korea as soon as possible.

Once the Senate notifies the U.S. president of its approval of an ambassador, the president officially appoints the envoy who can start work at their country of sojourn.

If Biden appoints Goldberg this weekend, the diplomat might arrive in Seoul in time to attend the presidential inauguration ceremony on May 10. As of Wednesday, the U.S. presidential delegation to Yoon's inauguration includes current U.S. charge d'affaires to Korea Christopher Del Corso.

Goldberg is currently in Colombia where he has served as the U.S. ambassador since 2019, but he is expected to arrive in Seoul before the South Korea-U.S. summit at the latest.

Goldberg is a career ambassador, the highest diplomatic rank in the U.S. Foreign Service. He is the first career diplomat to exercise ambassadorship in Korea since former U.S. ambassador to the Philippines and Indonesia and current U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, Sung Kim, who left in 2014.

Goldberg was the coordinator for implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1874 on North Korea in 2009 to 2010, which enabled him to earn his expertise on the authoritarian regime. He has taken a hardline position on North Korea, calling it a "rogue regime."

His other previous posts include U.S. ambassador to Bolivia and the Philippines and assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research.

Goldberg is the highest ranking diplomat to be appointed as a U.S. ambassador to Korea, representing the significance of the communication between the two countries, with a new Korean administration.

Park Won-gon, professor of North Korean Studies at Ewha Womans University, said Goldberg's expertise will play an important role.

"The Yoon Suk-yeol administration emphasizes strengthening the strategic alliance with the U.S., so Goldberg will play an important role as a veteran career diplomat, communicating with Biden's Department of State," Park said.