New US Ambassador nominated to Sri Lanka

US President Joe Biden has announced his intent to nominate Julie Chung as Ambassador to represent the United States in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, the White House announced on Tuesday.

Julie Jiyoon Chung, nominee as Ambassador to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, and to serve concurrently as Ambassador to the Republic of Maldives, is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counsellor and is currently serving as the Acting Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the US Department of State.

She was previously Director of the Office of Japanese Affairs at the Department. She has served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Phnom Penh – Cambodia and Economic Counsellor at the US Embassy in Bangkok – Thailand. Earlier, Chung was Chief of Staff to the Transition Coordinator at the US Embassy in Baghdad – Iraq. She has also served at the US embassies in Colombia, Vietnam and Japan, and the US Consulate General in Guangzhou – China. She is a Pickering Fellow.

Born in Seoul – South Korea, Chung earned a BA at the University of California – San Diego and an MA at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Secretary’s Distinguished Honour Award. Chung speaks Korean, Japanese, Spanish, and Khmer.

If the US Senate confirms her appointment, Chung will be replacing the current Ambassador Alaina B. Teplitz, who began her tenure on 1 November 2018.