Morse H. Tan (left), former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, chats with Hong Seong-gu, CEO of News & Post (NNP), at a restaurant in Virginia, USA, before their special dialogue on the 13th of last month (local time). / Photo courtesy of NNP

Morse H. Tan, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Criminal Justice, reacted positively to the news of the sudden replacement of the acting U.S. Ambassador to Korea, stating, "The United States is moving in a better direction."

In an SNS (social media) Q&A with Hong Seong-gu, chief correspondent for News & Post (NNP), on the 19th (local time), Tan said, "I just read the article too and am also digesting it," expressing his opinion.

He added, "My initial thought is that it is a move in a better direction (by the Donald Trump administration)."

When asked if he agreed with the view that "President Trump has made a decision about Korea or at least started to focus on Korean issues," Tan replied, "It looks like it."

This is the first time that former Deputy Assistant Secretary Tan, who is widely considered a strong candidate for the next U.S. Ambassador to Korea, has commented on the change in the interim head of the U.S. Embassy in Korea.

Previously, domestic media outlets reported one after another that the Trump administration had replaced Acting Ambassador Joseph Yun with Kevin Kim, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.

This news has drawn unusual attention, as it comes amid a flurry of reports anticipating President Trump's first visit to Korea in his second term later this month.

Furthermore, some analyses suggest that replacing the acting ambassador with someone other than a formal "ambassador" is a highly unusual diplomatic practice.

Interpretations are also cautiously emerging that this could be a "signal flare" for the Trump administration to become more actively involved in Korean affairs. The system of an acting ambassador is often used as a means of direct control by the State Department (equivalent to Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs) when the host country's situation is complex, particularly during periods of upheaval rather than normal times.

Consequently, there is a perspective that President Trump, who is known to exert strong influence on domestic and international affairs from a U.S. perspective, may be taking steps to fully commit to the Korean Peninsula.

On the other hand, some speculate that the abrupt dismissal of Acting Ambassador Joseph Yun, who has faced persistent concerns about being pro-Democrat, might be due to the urgent need to remove him amidst the extreme political deadlock in the United States, where Senate Democrats have been pushing for a federal government shutdown for three weeks.

While U.S. ambassadors require Senate confirmation, which can take several months to over a year, acting ambassadors can be appointed immediately without such a process, which is sometimes considered an advantage.

According to reports from Chosun Ilbo and other media outlets on the 19th (Korean time), Acting Ambassador Yun, appointed by President Trump on January 10, is expected to step down as of the 26th.

With the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting scheduled for the end of this month, there is considerable domestic and international interest in the background of the sudden dismissal of the U.S. acting ambassador.

Kevin Kim, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, who has been mentioned as a successor, has been involved in Korean Peninsula issues at the State Department.

The newspaper reported that Deputy Assistant Secretary Kim worked in the State Department's Office of the Special Representative for North Korea Policy from 2018 to 2020 during the first Trump administration. He was involved in U.S. North Korea diplomacy alongside figures like former Special Representative for North Korea Policy Stephen Biegun, who served as Under Secretary of State.

During the first Trump administration, the U.S. government also left the position of Ambassador to Korea vacant for an extended period, only sending Ambassador Harry Harris in July 2018, after a year and a half in office.

At that time, President Trump was maintaining a state of extreme tension with North Korea but had created an opportunity for dialogue during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

Seven months after Ambassador Harris took office, President Trump held a historic summit with Kim Jong Un in Singapore.