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C.S. Eliot Kang (born in 1962 as Choo Soon Kang; ) is an American
diplomat
A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...
and member of the
Senior Executive Service
The Senior Executive Service (SES) is a position classification in the civil service of the United States federal government equivalent to general officer or flag officer rank in the U.S. Armed Forces. It was created in 1979 when the Civil Service ...
. He currently serves as the Assistant Secretary for the
Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN) at the
U.S. Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...
. From January to July 2021 and January 2017 to January 2018, Kang served as acting ISN Assistant Secretary and also exercised the authority of the
Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs. He also served as acting ISN Assistant Secretary from January to June 2009. Kang is one of the State Department's leading experts on nuclear affairs, including on nuclear safeguards, security, and safety matters as well as denuclearization, counterproliferation, and counter nuclear terrorism issues. On April 12, 2021, President
Joe Biden announced his intention to nominate Kang as his administration's
{{R from other capitalisation ...
.
He was confirmed by the
United States Senate on March 29, 2022.
Early life and education
Kang is the son of Ho Ryun Kang (),
a former
South Korean government official and retired
Air Force brigadier general residing in the United States, who was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross, the
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...
, and other medals by the U.S. Government for his actions during the
Korean War.
Kang's maternal great-grandfather, the late
Yim Heung Soon (임흥순), was the chairman of the National Defense Committee of the
Korean National Assembly
The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, often shortened to the National Assembly in domestic English-language media, is the unicameral national legislature of South Korea. Elections to the National Assembly are held every four years. T ...
during the
Korean War and served as the
Mayor of Seoul in 1959 and 1960.
After graduating from
Lakewood High School in
Lakewood Township, New Jersey, Kang earned a Bachelor of Arts from
Cornell University in 1984. He then received his M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. from
Yale University.
Career
Early career
Before joining the
State Department
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...
as a William C. Foster Fellow in 2003, Kang was a tenured professor of political science. He taught international security at the
University of Pennsylvania and
Northern Illinois University and has held fellowships at the
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, mi ...
and the
Brookings Institution. He has published extensively; his writings have appeared in such publications as ''
International Organization',
World Affairs
''World Affairs'' is an American quarterly journal covering international relations. At one time, it was an official publication of the American Peace Society. The magazine has been published since 1837 and was re-launched in January 2008 as a new ...
,'' and ''Comparative Strategy.''
During the late 1980s, Kang worked on Wall Street as an investment banker. He specialized in corporate finance and mergers & acquisitions for
Dillon, Read
Dillon, Read & Co. was an investment bank based in New York City. In 1991, it was acquired by Barings Bank and, in 1997, it was acquired by Swiss Bank Corporation, which was in turn acquired by UBS in 1998.
History Carpenter & Vermilye
Dillon Rea ...
& Co., Inc.
Kang is a member of the
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, mi ...
. He became a Term Member in 1997 and was elected a Life Member in 2002.
Diplomatic career
Bush administration
During the administration of President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
, Kang held various senior positions in the
State Department
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...
, including in the
Bureau of Arms Control and
Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. In the
Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Threat Reduction, Export Controls, and Negotiations. He led U.S. efforts to tighten export controls against the proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction and their delivery vehicles. Kang also served as the senior nonproliferation policy adviser on the U.S. delegations to the
Six-Party Talks under the leadership of
Christopher R. Hill
Christopher Robert Hill (born August 10, 1952) is an American diplomat who is United States Ambassador to Serbia. Previously, he was professor at George W. Ball adjunct Columbia University in the City of New York, the Chief Advisor to the Chancel ...
. He participated in the sixth round of the
Six-Party Talks that produced the 13 February 2007 Joint Statement, resulting in the closure Yongbyon nuclear facility invitation of
IAEA
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 1957 ...
inspectors to conduct monitoring and verification measures. In October 2008, he accompanied
Christopher R. Hill
Christopher Robert Hill (born August 10, 1952) is an American diplomat who is United States Ambassador to Serbia. Previously, he was professor at George W. Ball adjunct Columbia University in the City of New York, the Chief Advisor to the Chancel ...
on his last visit to North Korea He attempted to work out with the North Koreans a verification protocol for denuclearization as Hill tried to shore up the flagging momentum in the Six-Party Talks process.
Obama Administration
Kang has led U.S. diplomatic efforts in various international nuclear fora and multinational negotiations. In 2009, as President
Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
launched his
Nuclear Security Summit
The Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) is a world summit, aimed at preventing nuclear terrorism around the globe. The first summit was held in Washington, D.C., United States, on April 12–13, 2010. The second summit was held in Seoul, South Korea, i ...
process, Kang—serving as ISN's Acting Assistant Secretary—co-chaired the 2009
Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism
The Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT) is an international organization consisting of 89 countries that have endorsed a set of nuclear security principles for nuclear terrorism deterrence, prevention, detection, and response. It ...
(GICNT) in the Hague. He delivered a personal message from the President committing his full support for the Initiative and welcoming 75 nations that joined it. While serving as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Nuclear Affairs (2011–2016), in preparation for the February 2015 Diplomatic Conference for the
Convention on Nuclear Safety, President
Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
accorded Kang the personal rank of
ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
. The international community, divided on the future of nuclear energy, was slow to respond to acute nuclear safety concerns that arose following the 2011
Fukushima nuclear disaster. The leading international forum addressing nuclear safety,
Convention on Nuclear Safety, was mired in diplomatic deadlock, as anti-nuclear energy political pressure began to build, especially in Europe. Leading the U.S. delegation to the Diplomatic Conference, Kang secured the swift adoption of a consensus approach to resolving the deadlock. The compromise made possible the adoption of the Vienna Declaration on Nuclear Safety, a milestone in the ongoing international efforts to improve nuclear safety as nuclear energy remains viable but continues to be controversial.
Trump administration
On January 22, 2017, Kang was appointed Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the
Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN),
United States Department of State. Throughout 2017, he acted as
ISN's
Assistant Secretary and exercised the authorities of the
. He also served as the Acting
{{R from other capitalisation ...
during the Presidential transition between