President Barack Obama will nominate longtime foreign policy aide Mark Lippert to succeed Sung Kim as U.S. ambassador to South Korea, The Daily Beast reported Wednesday.Lippert, currently chief of staff to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, advised President Obama on foreign policy issues during Obama’s time in the U.S. Senate and during the 2008 presidential campaign.
Lippert previously held the roles of National Security Council‘s chief of staff, intelligence officer for Naval Reserve’s overseas operations and assistant defense secretary for Asian and Pacific affairs.
As a top Pentagon official, Lippert has worked on the strategic policy agenda focused around the Asia-Pacific region.
He has also led a delegation of U.S. military personnel in defense talks with Korea and Japan regarding security issues.
