AMBASSADOR/AUSTRALIA/SOUTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration is considering sending Adm. Harry Harris to South Korea as its new ambassador, according to two people familiar with the matter, turning to a military man to fill a diplomatic vacancy at a pivotal moment on the Korean Peninsula. Adm. Harris, currently the head of U.S. Pacific Command, had been tapped as the next ambassador to Australia and would need to go through a fresh vetting process and confirmation hearing before taking up the post in Seoul. The plans were first reported by the Washington Post. The idea to move Adm. Harris from Canberra to Seoul, one of these people said, was made by Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo, who has been nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as secretary of state. It is unclear if the president has signed off on the idea, but sending Adm. Harris to South Korea would reassure an ally at a time when close coordination is needed between Washington and Seoul. The post has been vacant since Mr. Trump was sworn in as president in January last year. Marc Knapper, a State Department veteran who has served multiple stints in Seoul and speaks Korean, has served as the acting ambassador for the past 15 months.’
–Jonathan Cheng, “Trump Administration Considers Adm. Harris for Seoul Ambassadorship,” The Wall Street Journal, April 24, 2018 11:41 pm