Korea expert Cha no longer considered for US envoy to Seoul

By MATTHEW PENNINGTON
24 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. ambassadorship to South Korea is set to stay open a while longer after the Trump administration dropped from consideration a prominent Washington-based academic who had been tapped for the job. The high-profile position has remained vacant for the past year as tensions with nuclear-armed North Korea have soared.

U.S. officials confirmed the withdrawal of Victor Cha, but did not spell out the reasons for it and who might be in the running to take his place.

The Washington Post reported Tuesday that Cha had privately expressed disagreement in late December with the Trump administration’s policy on North Korea and on a U.S.-South Korea trade pact that Trump has threatened to scrap. The report also cited anonymous sources as saying there had been a problem with Cha’s security clearance.

Hours later, Cha wrote in a commentary in the Post that he had voiced opposition to those within the administration who he said were suggesting military action against North Korea. Some have referred to it as a “bloody nose” strike that is intended to demonstrate U.S. resolve without provoking a wider war.

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