Korean-American Julie Jung Appointed as US Ambassador to Sri Lanka

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] On the 15th (local time), U.S. President Joe Biden nominated Julie Jiyoon Jung, a Korean-American, as the U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka.

According to the White House, Nominee Jung has served as the Chief of the Japan Desk at the State Department, Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia, and Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand.

Born in Seoul, she immigrated to the United States with her family at the age of five. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California, San Diego, and a master's degree from Columbia University, then began her diplomatic career in 1996.

While working in the Korea Desk at the State Department, she was responsible for the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) and visited North Korea several times.

Nominee Jung has also served in Thailand, Iraq, Colombia, Vietnam, Japan, and China. The White House stated that she speaks Korean, Japanese, Spanish, and Khmer.

On the same day, the White House announced ambassadorial nominations for nine regions, including Sri Lanka, Gambia, Guinea, Israel, Paraguay, and Mexico.