According to MiddleAsianNews, next week Michael DeSombre, representing the U.S. on East Asian issues, plans to visit Mongolia, South Korea, and Japan to strengthen cooperation on important issues in the Indo-Pacific region, as reported by the State Department.
From March 13 to 17, DeSombre will hold meetings in Tokyo, Seoul, and Ulaanbaatar, as indicated in a statement from the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the department, published on X.
President Donald Trump's trip to Northeast Asia will coincide with his visit to China, where he will meet with Chairman Xi Jinping at a summit scheduled for late March or early April. This creates conditions for resuming dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during Trump's visit to Asia.
At a recent meeting of the ruling party, Kim Jong-un stated that Pyongyang "has no reason to be at odds with the U.S.," provided that Washington changes its hostile policy, adding that the development of U.S.-North Korean relations entirely depends on the positions of the U.S., according to information from North Korean state media.
Michael George DeSombre, born in 1968, serves as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Previously, he represented the U.S. as ambassador to Thailand. In between government positions, he worked as a partner at the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell. He also chaired the Save the Children office in Hong Kong.
On March 10, 2025, Trump nominated DeSombre for the position of Assistant Secretary of State, and his nomination was confirmed by the Senate on October 7, 2025, after a vote of 51 to 47. The oath of office was taken on October 10, 2025.
DeSombre, born in Chicago, Illinois, holds a bachelor's degree in quantitative economics and a master's degree in East Asian studies from Stanford. In 1995, he graduated from Harvard Law School with honors (magna cum laude).
Before taking up his post in Bangkok in 2020, DeSombre lived in Hong Kong, where he spent two decades. He is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and also speaks Korean and Japanese. He is a fan of the U.S. national rugby team and actively participates in charitable and intellectual projects. He is married and has four children.
