CBS news is reporting that Admiral Harry Harris, commander of the US Navy’s Pacific Command, will likely be nominated as the Trump administration’s ambassador to South Korea. Harris had been selected as the nominee to be ambassador to Australia.
SCOOP w @CBSDavidMartin: sources tell @CBSNews that Adm. Harry Harris, outgoing commander of US forces in the Pacific, is not going to Australia to become US ambassador as announced. Plan not final yet but Pompeo’s office wants to send him to be Ambassador to South Korea. Link TK
— Jacqueline Alemany (@JaxAlemany) April 24, 2018
Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo, the nominee to be secretary of state, has reportedly been pushing for the change, though US President Donald Trump has yet to sign off on the move. Pompeo’s interest in filling the long-vacant South Korea envoy spot comes amid his involvement in preparing for a planned summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Pompeo recently traveled to North Korea to meet with Kim.
The move could be seen as welcome news to China, Admiral Harris’ No 1 critic, as his potential post in Australia would have kept him closer to the South China Sea territory disputes. Harris’ vocal criticisms of Beijing’s activities in the region have made him a favorite target of ridicule by Chinese media. State-owned Chinese publications have gone so far as to cite Harris’ Japanese-American heritage as a reason for alleged anti-Chinese bias. China’s official Xinhua news agency has used the words “militant,” “notorious” and “infamous” to describe him.
Australia thinks he is more of a liability in its current ‘cold’ relationship with China. In South Korea, the koreans aim to cage him in.LOL
Awesome, S.Korean will be so impressed by him that they will forget N.Korea and start a ROK-China war on behalf of Trump. LOLZ
He is being selected because he knows the region and issues, and is needed more in SK than sunning himself down in Australia. He also has all applicable clearences already. This shows the priority President Trump is giving both Koreas, in this once in a generation opportunity for NK.
Nice move! This will surely remind both the South and North Koreans of the good old days of warm fuzzy feelings toward their colonial Japanese occupiers. They might finally see in Harris a combination of their former and current masters.