By Oh Young-jin
I would ask U.S. Ambassador to Korea Sung Kim for an interview whenever I had the chance. Conservatively speaking, that would be no less than five times.
So when I extended my hand for a handshake before an interview at his residence behind Deoksu Palace, Thursday afternoon, he said jovially, "Finally."
My interest in Ambassador Kim is not just because he represents Korea's key ally, the United States, but because he was born in Korea and went to the U.S. at age 10 ― in other words, as a Korean-American he is somebody with whom Koreans can more easily associate with than his predecessors.
Koreans could relate well to Kim's predecessor, Kathleen Stevens, who can speak Korean fluently and before her tour of duty here worked as a Peace Corps member.
Her predecessors were ambassadors who got their assignments without public relations factors being fully considered.
By putting Kim and Stevens into that context, it is plain to see a pattern in which the U.S. appears to be paying keener attention to the broader relationship with Korea in choosing its representatives.
If this pattern exists, I would say the choice of Stevens was not bad. As a matter of fact, she was well received by the Korean public ― riding bikes in public, appearing on television programs and attending many social functions. It could be another matter though about how she was appreciated among U.S. diplomats.
In that sense, Kim appeared to be a logical, progressive step for the U.S.'s top envoy here. Kim's appointment carries an important message to two constituent groups.
To the public here, he represents a native son who has made it in the U.S. and come back triumphantly, while to Korean-American community in the U.S., he shows the maturity of their presence.
From the standpoint of the U.S. government, Kim was meant to deepen its alliance with Korea.
Then, how has he been doing for the past two years and three months on the job?
The jury is still out obviously because he still has some more time to go on the job. He denied a report that he was to be called home with his replacement decided.
One thing I can say for sure is that he is trying harder to reach out to the Korean public lately, appearing on a television program and speaking frequently to the media. He said that his tight schedule prevented him from becoming more engaged. Now, what caused the change is an interesting question.
Maybe he realized that he underutilized his potential as an important U.S. public relations asset.
If he is put to good use, Kim could be more effective than Stevens, considering the complexity of the two countries' alliance and the problems that come with it.
When we were out for a group photo after the interview, I said to him with my usual sense of exaggeration, "It took 20 requests for us to make it for this interview." With a toothy smile on the face, he said, "Better now than never."
I would ask U.S. Ambassador to Korea Sung Kim for an interview whenever I had the chance. Conservatively speaking, that would be no less than five times.
So when I extended my hand for a handshake before an interview at his residence behind Deoksu Palace, Thursday afternoon, he said jovially, "Finally."
My interest in Ambassador Kim is not just because he represents Korea's key ally, the United States, but because he was born in Korea and went to the U.S. at age 10 ― in other words, as a Korean-American he is somebody with whom Koreans can more easily associate with than his predecessors.
Koreans could relate well to Kim's predecessor, Kathleen Stevens, who can speak Korean fluently and before her tour of duty here worked as a Peace Corps member.
Her predecessors were ambassadors who got their assignments without public relations factors being fully considered.
By putting Kim and Stevens into that context, it is plain to see a pattern in which the U.S. appears to be paying keener attention to the broader relationship with Korea in choosing its representatives.
If this pattern exists, I would say the choice of Stevens was not bad. As a matter of fact, she was well received by the Korean public ― riding bikes in public, appearing on television programs and attending many social functions. It could be another matter though about how she was appreciated among U.S. diplomats.
In that sense, Kim appeared to be a logical, progressive step for the U.S.'s top envoy here. Kim's appointment carries an important message to two constituent groups.
To the public here, he represents a native son who has made it in the U.S. and come back triumphantly, while to Korean-American community in the U.S., he shows the maturity of their presence.
From the standpoint of the U.S. government, Kim was meant to deepen its alliance with Korea.
Then, how has he been doing for the past two years and three months on the job?
The jury is still out obviously because he still has some more time to go on the job. He denied a report that he was to be called home with his replacement decided.
One thing I can say for sure is that he is trying harder to reach out to the Korean public lately, appearing on a television program and speaking frequently to the media. He said that his tight schedule prevented him from becoming more engaged. Now, what caused the change is an interesting question.
Maybe he realized that he underutilized his potential as an important U.S. public relations asset.
If he is put to good use, Kim could be more effective than Stevens, considering the complexity of the two countries' alliance and the problems that come with it.
When we were out for a group photo after the interview, I said to him with my usual sense of exaggeration, "It took 20 requests for us to make it for this interview." With a toothy smile on the face, he said, "Better now than never."
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