US may replace top Asia diplomat as North Korea crisis grows more urgent
Ex-US Treasury official Olin Wethington may replace veteran Susan Thornton as acting assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Buzzfeed reports
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is reportedly considering replacing his top Asia diplomat with a former US Treasury Department official who has little experience in diplomacy and regional security matters as the North Korea nuclear missile crisis grows more serious.
The change comes amid new estimates that Pyongyang will be able to field a reliable, nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching North America as early as next year.
Olin Wethington, a former US Treasury Department official and a non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council, is now Tillerson’s favourite candidate to replace veteran diplomat Susan Thornton, the current acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, BuzzFeed News reported on Monday.
“Wethington has been looked at for the job, but I do not believe a formal internal decision has been made to offer it to him yet,” said Douglas Paal, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Paal said Wethington may or may not get the job. Thornton will likely move on to an appropriately rewarding position, he said.