Yuri Kim (ambassador)

Yuri Kim (born c. 1972) is a South Korean-born U.S. diplomat serving as the United States Ambassador to Albania since 2020.[1][2] Kim is the first Korean-American woman to represent the United States as an Ambassador and the first U.S. ambassador from Guam.[3]

Yuri Kim
United States Ambassador to Albania
Assumed office
January 27, 2020
PresidentDonald Trump
Joe Biden
Preceded byDonald Lu
Personal details
Bornc.1972 (age 50–51)
Seoul, South Korea
Parents
  • Kenneth Tae-Rang Kim (father)
  • Jane Wha-Young Kim (mother)
EducationUniversity of Pennsylvania (B.A.)
University of Cambridge (MPhil)
WebsiteAmbassador to Albania Edit this at Wikidata

Early life and education

Kim was born in South Korea in 1972. Kim's father is Kenneth Tae-Rang Kim, the founder of Yury Construction Co., and her mother was Jane Wha-Young Kim, a homemaker and community leader. In 1976, at age four, Kim and her family immigrated to Guam.[4] Her mother was among 228 passengers who perished on Korean Air Flight 801, which crashed on Guam on Aug. 6, 1997. Her family established the Jane Wha-Young Kim Foundation in her memory, providing scholarships to high school and university students on Guam as well as an award for outstanding teachers. Kim graduated from the Academy of Our Lady of Guam. She then earned a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.Phil. from University of Cambridge. In addition to English she speaks Korean, Mandarin, Japanese, and Turkish.[5][6]

Career
Ambassador Yuri Kim and the President of American Chamber of Commerce, Enio Jaco

Kim is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service. Kim served as the Director of the State Department's Center for the Study of Diplomacy, Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of State, and Director of the Office of European Security and Political-Military Affairs. Kim served as the Director of the Office of Southern European Affairs in the State Department's Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs from 2018-19.

Earlier in her career, Kim served as Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and was a member of the American delegation to the Six-Party Talks focused on ending North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. She was also a Special Assistant to Secretary of State Colin Powell.[3]

Kim was confirmed as Ambassador to Albania by a voice vote of the full Senate on December 19, 2019,[2] and presented her credentials to Albanian President Ilir Meta in Tirana on January 27, 2020.[7] During her diplomatic mission in Albania,[1] Yuri Kim is supporting the growth of American investments in Albania.[8]

Personal life

Kim speaks Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Turkish, as well as English.

See also

References
  1. "Ambassador Yuri Kim - U.S. Embassy in Albania". 2021-11-07. Archived from the original on 7 November 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  2. "PN902 - Nomination of Yuri Kim for Department of State, 116th Congress (2019-2020)". www.congress.gov. December 19, 2019.
  3. "US Senate approves Yuri Kim as Ambassador to Albania". top-channel.tv.
  4. Partido, Gerry (June 27, 2019). "Trump set to appoint Guamanian as ambassador to Albania; Academy graduate also proud to be 'Guam's ambassador to the world'".
  5. "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Individual to Key Administration Post". whitehouse.gov – via National Archives.
  6. Daleno, Gaynor D. "AOLG grad to be named US ambassador". The Guam Daily Post.
  7. "US Ambassador Yuri Kim presents credentials to President". Tirana Times. January 28, 2020.
  8. "Fjalimi i Ambasadores Yuri Kim në Indeksin e Biznesit të Dhomës Amerikane të Tregtisë". Ambasada e SHBA në Shqipëri (in Albanian). 2020-06-29. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
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