WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump has named a career diplomat as his top diplomat for East Asian and Pacific affairs, the White House said Tuesday.

Susan Thornton has been nominated assistant secretary of state for the region, it said in a press release, after having served in an acting capacity since March.

Her portfolio includes the two Koreas.

Thornton joined the foreign service in 1991 and "has spent the last 20 years working on US policy in Eurasia, focused on the countries of the former Soviet Union and East Asia," according to the State Department website.

She worked at the US diplomatic missions in China, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, among other postings.

Her appointment is subject to Senate confirmation. (Yonhap)