Trump Appoints Dismember as Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asia and Pacific Affairs... Likely to Have High Understanding of Korea (Comprehensive)

M&A and Private Equity Expert with Extensive Experience in Asia
Wife is Korean... Also Fluent in Chinese
Oversaw Korean Affairs After Returning to Law Firm

Michael DeSombre, former U.S. Ambassador to Thailand. Photo by Sullivan & Cromwell

On the 11th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump nominated Michael DeSombre, former ambassador to Thailand, as the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, responsible for working-level matters related to South Korea and North Korea. DeSombre is an expert who has provided mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and private equity advisory services in Asia, including South Korea, for over 20 years, and is presumed to have a considerable understanding of Korea.

President Trump wrote on his social networking service (SNS) Truth Social, which he founded, "I am pleased to announce that Michael DeSombre has been nominated as the next Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs." He added, "DeSombre graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School and holds a bachelor's degree in econometrics and a master's degree in East Asian studies from Stanford University. His master's thesis topic was 'China's Nuclear Weapons Strategy.'" He emphasized, "I am confident that Michael will work tremendously hard for our country."

The Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, who oversees diplomatic affairs related not only to South Korea and North Korea but also to China, Japan, and others, must be confirmed by the Senate after a hearing to be officially appointed. Currently, Daniel Kritenbrink, appointed in September 2021 during the previous Biden administration, holds the position.

DeSombre is from the first Trump administration. He served as ambassador to Thailand from March 2020 until January 20 of the following year, when President Trump's first term ended. After a long career as a lawyer at the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, he was appointed as the first ambassador from the private sector to Thailand, and returned to the law firm after the administration changed. Previously, DeSombre was also strongly considered as a successor to Daniel Russell, the former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, who completed his term in March 2017.

He also has deep ties with South Korea. Sullivan & Cromwell's website introduces DeSombre as focusing on public and private M&A transactions, leveraged buyouts, joint ventures, and direct investments in China, Korea, Southeast Asia, and other parts of Asia since moving to Hong Kong in 1997. His wife is Korean, and DeSombre is known to be capable of everyday Korean conversation and is also proficient in Chinese.

In a podcast interview last March, when asked about the process of his appointment as ambassador to Thailand, DeSombre said, "At the time, I had no intention of going to Thailand," and that places where he had done more work, such as China or Korea, would have been more suitable. When asked about his return to Sullivan & Cromwell after finishing his term as ambassador to Thailand, he explained, "Concerns about the Chinese economy and geopolitical issues have reduced work related to Chinese investments," and "work related to Korea, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia has increased." He added, "Korea has always been one of the main areas of work, but recently Taiwan's importance has grown."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.