US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he will nominate a former ambassador to Thailand as the next assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, a post that deals with a broad range of regional issues, including those on the Korean Peninsula.
In a social media post, Trump made the announcement on his decision to nominate Michael DeSombre for the State Department post, voicing confidence that DeSombre will "work incredibly hard" for the United States.
"I am pleased to announce that Ambassador Michael George DeSombre will be nominated as the next United States Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "During my First Term, Michael served as my Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand, and did a great job!"
DeSombre is a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell, a New York-based law firm, where he leads affairs related to mergers and acquisitions in Asia as well as Korea and Southeast Asia practices. He joined the firm in 2021 after serving as the ambassador to Thailand from 2020-2021.
He has a bachelor's degree in quantitative economics and a master's degree in East Asian studies from Stanford University. He is also a graduate of Harvard Law School.
He is fluent in Mandarin and has some ability in Korean, according to the law firm. (Yonhap)
