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Biden Administration International Affairs Personnel Tracker

Jung Pak

Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs

Before joining the U.S. Department of State as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Dr. Jung Pak worked as a senior fellow and the SK-Korea Foundation Chair in Korea Studies at Brookings Institution’s Center for East Asia Policy Studies. Dr. Pak worked for many years as an intelligence officer at the CIA and also served as the Deputy National Intelligence Officer for Korea at the National Intelligence Council. She is considered to be one of the foremost experts on Kim Jong Un and security issues surrounding the Korean peninsula.

On China

As the subject of many of her publications indicates, her thoughts on China are typically framed within the context of the Korean peninsula. For instance, in her working paper, “China’s gambit on the Korean Peninsula”, she writes:

China is seeking to weave engagement with North and South Korea to try to increase its influence over the Korean Peninsula, including on the North Korean nuclear issue, and weaken the perception of Washington’s relevance in the region as it seeks to establish its regional dominance…. 

As U.S.-China relations continue to worsen, dampening Beijing’s appetite for cooperation on key security issues like North Korean denuclearization, Xi’s assertiveness in pursuing China’s priorities on the Korean Peninsula has the potential to embolden, not rein in, Kim Jong Un, reduce Washington’s role and influence in Northeast Asia, and coerce Seoul to accommodate Beijing’s policy goals or risk punishment.

However, unlike various other high-ranking officials within the Biden administration, Dr. Jung Pak has not been particularly vocal about her views on China itself on social media or from traditional media sources at this time.

Page Last Updated: Febraury 16, 2021

*None of the personnel in this tracker are associated with the Institute for China-America Studies. All images used on this page are sourced from the official Biden-Harris transition website buildbackbetter.gov or the public domain.*