VZCZCXYZ0004
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHUL #0914/01 0810210
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 220210Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY SEOUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6747
INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//OSD/ISA/EAP// PRIORITY
RHMFISS/COMUSKOREA J2 SEOUL KOR PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/COMUSKOREA J3 SEOUL KOR PRIORITY
RHMFISS/COMUSKOREA J5 SEOUL KOR PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/COMUSKOREA SCJS SEOUL KOR PRIORITY
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY

UNCLAS SEOUL 000914 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MARR MASS PREL KS
SUBJECT: NEW ROK ALTERNATE REPRESENTATIVE TO SOFA JOINT 
COMMITTEE 
 
¶1.  (U) Embassy received March 17 a diplomatic note 
announcing the appointment of MOFAT North America Bureau 
Deputy Director General Lim Sungnam to be the new Alternate 
Representative to the SOFA Joint Committee.  Full text of the 
note and Mr. Lim's bio follows: 
 
¶2.  (U)  Begin text: 
 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade 
Republic of Korea 
 
OSF-821 
 
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of 
Korea presents its compliments to the Embassy of the United 
States of America and has the honor to inform the latter that 
the Korean Government has appointed Mr. Lim Sungnam as the 
new Alternate Representative to the Joint Committee 
established under provisions of Article XXVIII of the 
Agreement under the Article IV of the Mutual Defense Treaty 
between the Republic of Korea and the United States of 
America, regarding Facilities and Areas and the Status of the 
United States Armed Forces in the Republic of Korea. 
 
The appointment of Mr. Lim Sungnam is effective from February 
10th, 2006.  His curriculum vitae is enclosed herewith. 
 
The Ministry avails itself of this opportunity to renew to 
the Embassy of the United States of America the assurances of 
its highest consideration. 
 
Enclosure: as stated above 
Seoul, February 27, 2006 
 
End Text. 
 
¶3.  (U)  Begin text: 
 
Deputy Director-General Sungnam Lim 
 
North American Affairs Bureau 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade 
(As of March 2006) 
 
Mr. Sungnam Lim assumed the position of a Deputy 
Director-General of the North American Affairs Bureau in the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of 
Korea in February 2006.  In this new position, his area of 
primary responsibility is Korea-US security cooperation. 
 
Before coming back to Seoul for this job, Mr. Lim has been 
Political Counselor at the Korean Embassy in Washington, 
D.C., where he has handled the North Korean nuclear issue and 
the Korea-US alliance, among others.  In this capacity, he 
participated in the Six-Party Talks held in Beijing in 2005 
as a member of the Korean delegation. 
 
Prior to this position, he also served as Congressional 
Counselor at the Embassy in charge of the relationship 
between the Korean government and Capitol Hill.  Before going 
to Washington for these assignments in March 2003, he served 
as Director of North America Division I in 2002 and Director 
of North America Division III in 2001, respectively.  While 
serving as Director of NAD III, he was involved in many 
USFK-related talks such as SMA and LPP negotiations. 
 
Mr. Lim joined the Foreign Service in 1981, and besides 
Washington, D.C,. where had gone for his first overseas 
assignment in 1988, he served at the Korean Mission to the 
United Nations in New York City as well as the Korean Mission 
in Taipei, Taiwan.  At the Korean Mission to the UN, he dealt 
with the Middle East issues, including Iraq, at the Security 
Council where Korea was a non-permanent member from 
1996-1997.  In particular, he served as Chairman of the 
Working Group on Procedural Matters when Korea took up the 
Presidency of the Security Council in May 1997. 
 
At home, he also served at the Japan Desk in 1991-1992 
dealing with Japan's security policy, and handled the first 
North Korean nuclear crisis in 1993-1994 at the Blue House, 
which is the Korean equivalent of the White House. 
 
Mr. Lim has a BA and MA in international relations from Seoul 
National University, and studied political science at Harvard 
University, where he earned an AM and worked toward a Ph,D. 
Besides Korean and English, he speaks Chinese an Japanese and 
in his leisure time, enjoys playing golf and visiting 
museums. 
 
VERSHBOW