A group of 10 US Democratic senators has urged US President Donald Trump to quickly fill major posts in charge of Korean affairs that have been vacant for months, given escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, a US broadcaster reported Thursday.
The senators made the demand in a joint letter Friday, saying it is very worrisome that the posts are still vacant despite the tensions, Voice of America said.
US President Donald Trump (AP-Yonhap)
The roles the senators pinpointed are ambassador to South Korea and assistant secretaries of both state and defense for East Asian and Pacific affairs. They have remained empty for the eight months since Trump's inauguration in January, according to the broadcaster.
The senators called for Trump to appoint talented figures with extensive careers in the North Korea and Asia sectors to the posts, underlining that they play key roles in fine-tuning US diplomatic and defense policies on the region, the broadcaster said.
They also stressed that the vacancies should not be kept open long, so that new appointees can closely coordinate on measures to implement the sanctions on North Korea recently adopted by the UN Security Council, the broadcaster said. It added that the group reminded the president that South Korea is one of America's most valued allies. (Yonhap)
