The position of US special envoy for North Korean human rights issues has remained vacant for more than three months since the start of US President Donald Trump’s second term.
According to the US Department of State on Wednesday, Julie Turner — who had held the post since October 2023 — now serves as acting deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.
Her departure came as part of a broader reshuffle during the administrative transition — a common process in which many special envoy positions are dissolved or reassigned.
However, no successor has been appointed to the North Korean human rights envoy role. A new nomination appears unlikely in the near term.
Before Turner’s appointment, the post had remained vacant for six years since her predecessor, Robert King, stepped down in January 2017, just before Trump’s first term began. The role remained unfilled until former President Joe Biden nominated Turner at the midpoint of his term in January 2023.
Established under the North Korean Human Rights Act, which took effect in October 2004, the envoy position is tasked with coordinating US efforts to improve human rights conditions in North Korea.
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