Hyundai Motor, Hires Sung Kim, Former US Career Diplomat and Ambassador

Hyundai Motor Company announced on the 8th that it will appoint former ambassador Sung Y. Kim, a veteran American diplomat, as an advisor to respond to the uncertain global business environment.

Ambassador Kim, who recently served concurrently as the U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia and Special Representative for North Korea Policy, plans to join Hyundai Motor in January next year after retiring from the U.S. Department of State. As an advisor to Hyundai Motor, Ambassador Kim will support Hyundai Motor Group's overseas market strategies, global trade and policy response strategies, and external networking.

In a business environment where uncertainties are rising due to geopolitical conflicts leading to global economic bloc formation, changes in trade paradigms, and climate, environmental, and energy issues, Hyundai Motor expects Ambassador Kim's joining to contribute to resolving global management challenges.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Korea Sung Kim [Photo by Hyundai Motor Group]

Ambassador Kim began his public service career as a prosecutor in Los Angeles (LA) County and transitioned to a diplomatic career in 1988. He has served as a diplomat in several countries including Hong Kong, Japan, and Malaysia. In 2006, he was the Director of the Korea Desk at the U.S. Department of State, and in 2008, he served as the chief representative for the Six-Party Talks and Special Envoy for North Korea, establishing his reputation as a "Korea expert."

Later, when Ambassador Kim was appointed as the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea in 2011, he gained attention as the first Korean-American ambassador since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and South Korea. During his tenure, he successfully concluded major issues such as the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the revision of the Korea-U.S. missile guidelines.

In 2014, he served as the U.S. Department of State’s Special Representative for North Korea Policy and Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs responsible for Korea and Japan. From 2016, he served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines and played a key role on the front lines of U.S. diplomacy in East Asia, leading the U.S. delegation in working-level talks ahead of the 2018 North Korea-U.S. summit.

In 2020, he moved to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia and was appointed Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and Special Representative for North Korea Policy (at the Assistant Secretary level) after President Joe Biden’s inauguration. He is regarded as the top expert on East Asia and the Korean Peninsula in the U.S., having held key positions across the Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations.

Ambassador Kim is the first Asian American to serve consecutively as U.S. Ambassador to three countries?South Korea in 2011, the Philippines in 2016, and Indonesia in 2020. Earlier, during his posting in the Philippines in 2018, he became the first Korean-American to be promoted to career minister in the U.S. Foreign Service.