Overview

• Acting Ambassador Joseph Yun is expected to depart around Oct. 26 after serving since January, according to multiple diplomatic sources.
• Kevin Kim, a deputy assistant secretary overseeing Korean Peninsula affairs, is seen as the likely interim replacement who could assume duties without Senate confirmation.
• Observers call the timing unusual as the Oct. 31–Nov. 1 APEC summit in Gyeongju will bring President Trump to South Korea and draw other leaders including China’s Xi Jinping.
• No official rationale has been provided; some diplomats suggest politics may be a factor because Yun is viewed as a holdover from the previous administration.
• Reporting notes speculation that the choice could position Washington for possible North Korea-related engagement during the visit or to streamline sensitive policy coordination, though experts in Seoul are skeptical of a Trump–Kim meeting.