Who is Sung Kim, new US Ambassador to PHL?

The new US Ambassador to the Philippines, Sung Y. Kim, was sworn in by US Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington D.C. on Thursday. 

Congratulations, Amb Sung Kim! Looking forward to working w/ you in fostering mutually beneficial PH-US ties #MabuhayAmbKim @usphilsociety pic.twitter.com/EmIbSHYYur

— PhilippineEmbassy DC (@philippinesusa) November 3, 2016

Kim is the first US Ambassador to the Philippines who has an Asian heritage.

He replaces outgoing US Ambassador Philip Goldberg who has been serving in the Philippines since November 21, 2013.

Goldberg has been the subject of President Rodrigo Duterte's controversial remarks that include calling the US Ambassador "bakla" or gay.

The Philippines' Chargé d’Affairés to Washington Patrick Chuasoto, said, "We wish him [Kim] all the best as he assumes his new post in Manila and we look forward to working with him to foster greater Philippine-US ties."

#Philippine Emb DCM Patrick Chuasoto congratulates #AmbKim before the ceremony @StateDept Ben Franklin room! #MabuhayAmbKim @philippinesusa pic.twitter.com/srcYnWsgDH

— EAP Bureau (@USAsiaPacific) November 3, 2016

According to his profile on the US Department of State website, Kim was the Special Representative for North Korea Policy before he was assigned to Manila.

He concurrently served as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs at the US Department of State since 2014.

Kim, who speaks English, Korean, and Japanese, studied at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and the Loyola University Law School in Los Angeles. He also has a masteral degree in law from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

According to the Allgov.com website, Kim’s father, Kim Ki-wan (also known as Kim Jae-kwon), was allegedly a member of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

In 1958, Ki-wan was reportedly kidnapped by North Korea and held for 20 days

In 1973, Ki-wan, a Korean diplomat to Japan, was implicated in the kidnapping of former dissident and later South Korean president Kim Dae-jung. 

After this incident, Ki-wan decided to move his family to Los Angeles, including his son Kim, then 13 years old. 

Kim, born in 1960, reportedly became a US citizen in 1980.

Multiple awards

The US State Department has conferred several performance awards on Kim, who was cited for his "outstanding managerial skills, open interpersonal style, and ability to work well with numerous US government agencies on sensitive and complex policy issues and priorities."

A career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the class of Minister-Counselor, Kim served as Special Envoy for the Six Party Talks at the US Department of State from 2008-2011.

Kim likewise previously served as the Director of the Office of Korean Affairs in the Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs of the US Department of State from 2006 to 2008. 

His extensive diplomatic experience includes serving as:

• Political-Military Unit Chief at the US Embassy in Seoul, Korea (2002-2006); Political Officer at the US Embassy in Tokyo, Japan (1999-2002);
• Political-Military Officer in the Office of Chinese Affairs in the Department’s Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs (1997-1999); 
• Political Officer at the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1994-1997); 
• Staff Assistant in the Department of State’s Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs (1992-1993);
• Economic Officer at the US Embassy in Seoul, Korea (1990-1992), and 
• Vice Consul at the US Consulate in Hong Kong (1988-1990).

— RSJ, GMA News