Trump Nominates Kevin Kim as U.S. Ambassador to ASEAN

Trump Nominates Kevin Kim as U.S. Ambassador to ASEAN

WASHINGTON, March 3, 2026 — U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated Kevin Kim, a Korean-American diplomat and former acting U.S. ambassador to South Korea, to serve as ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the White House said on Tuesday.

Kim, whose Korean name is Kim Yeo-wook, previously advised Stephen Biegun during Trump’s first term and played a role in working-level U.S.-North Korea diplomacy, including preparations for the Singapore and Hanoi summits.

A career official with experience at both the State Department and the U.S. Congress, Kim has focused on Korean Peninsula and East Asian security issues. From 2018 to 2020, he served as deputy assistant to the deputy secretary of state, supporting engagement with Pyongyang. He later worked as a national security aide to Republican Senator Bill Hagerty and handled Indo-Pacific and U.S. Forces Korea matters at the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Following the launch of Trump’s current term in January, Kim was appointed deputy assistant secretary and senior director at the State Department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, overseeing Northeast Asia.

If confirmed by the Senate, Kim would represent the United States to ASEAN, a 10-member regional bloc central to Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy amid rising competition with China.

His nomination must undergo a confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and be approved by a majority vote in the full Senate. The formal appointment process is expected to take several months.

The post of U.S. ambassador to South Korea remains vacant more than a year into Trump’s administration.