# List of ambassadors of the United States to South Korea

The United States ambassador to South Korea (Korean: 주한미국대사; Hanja: 駐韓美國大使) is the chief diplomatic representative of the United States accredited to the Republic of Korea. The ambassador's official title is "Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Korea."

## Korea

After the United States–Korea Treaty of 1882 was negotiated, diplomatic representatives were sent from Washington to Seoul. From then until 1905, there were several Envoys and Consuls General, each heading what was called a legation. After the Japanese had defeated the Chinese in 1895, and the Russians in 1905, Korea began to see its independence disappear. By 1910, Japan had annexed Korea and the U.S. no longer had a diplomatic presence in Korea.

### Envoy, resident minister, and consul-general

| Name | Appointment | Presentation | Termination | Appointer | Notes |
| Lucius H. Foote | February 27, 1883 | May 20, 1883 | February 19, 1885 | Chester A. Arthur | |
| George Clayton Foulk | (acting) | February 19, 1885 | June 12, 1886 | (acting) | Chargé d’Affaires ad interim |
| William Harwar Parker | February 19, 1886 | June 12, 1886 | September 3, 1886 | Grover Cleveland | |
| George Clayton Foulk | (acting) | September 3, 1886 | April 13, 1887 | (acting) | Chargé d’Affaires ad interim |
| Hugh A. Dinsmore | January 12, 1887 | April 13, 1887 | May 26, 1890 | Grover Cleveland | |
| Augustine Heard | January 30, 1890 | May 26, 1890 | June 27, 1893 | Benjamin Harrison | |
| John M. B. Sill | January 12, 1894 | April 30, 1894 | September 13, 1897 | Grover Cleveland |
| Horace Newton Allen | July 17, 1897 | September 13, 1897 | October 1, 1901 | William McKinley |
| Horace Newton Allen | June 17, 1901 | October 1, 1901 | June 9, 1905 | William McKinley | as Envoy |
| Edwin V. Morgan | March 18, 1905 | June 26, 1905 | November 17, 1905 | Theodore Roosevelt | |

## South Korea

At the end of World War II, U.S. forces accepted Japan's surrender in southern Korea, and Soviet forces accepted the surrender of the Japanese in northern Korea. Talks to agree upon a unity government for Korea failed, and in 1948, two separate Korean states were created: the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). The United States established diplomatic relations with the new South Korean government, but did not recognize North Korea. Other countries, like the Soviet Union, recognized the Pyongyang government in North Korea, but did not initially establish relations with the South Korean government in Seoul.
The United States has maintained constant diplomatic relations with South Korea since 1948, with formal recognition of the Republic of Korea on 1 January 1949. The American special representative, John J. Muccio, became the first Ambassador to the Republic of Korea on March 1, 1949.
The Embassy of the United States in Seoul has jurisdiction over APP Busan.

### Ambassador

| # | Name | Appointment | Presentation | Termination | Appointer | Notes |
| 1 | John J. Muccio | April 7, 1949 | April 20, 1949 | September 8, 1952 | Harry S. Truman | |
| 2 | Ellis O. Briggs | August 25, 1952 | November 25, 1952 | April 12, 1955 | Harry S. Truman | |
| 3 | William S. B. Lacy | March 24, 1955 | May 12, 1955 | October 20, 1955 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | |
| 4 | Walter C. Dowling | May 29, 1956 | July 14, 1956 | October 2, 1959 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | |
| 5 | Walter P. McConaughy | October 5, 1959 | December 17, 1959 | April 12, 1961 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | |
| — | Marshall Green | (acting) | April 12, 1961 | June 27, 1961 | (acting) | Chargé d’Affaires ad interim |
| 6 | Samuel D. Berger | June 12, 1961 | June 27, 1961 | July 10, 1964 | John F. Kennedy | |
| 7 | Winthrop G. Brown | July 31, 1964 | August 14, 1964 | June 10, 1967 | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
| 8 | William J. Porter | June 9, 1967 | August 23, 1967 | August 18, 1971 | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
| 9 | Philip C. Habib | September 30, 1971 | October 10, 1971 | August 19, 1974 | Richard Nixon | |
| 10 | Richard L. Sneider | August 23, 1974 | September 18, 1974 | June 21, 1978 | Gerald Ford | |
| 11 | William H. Gleysteen Jr. | June 27, 1978 | July 24, 1978 | June 10, 1981 | Jimmy Carter | |
| 12 | Richard L. Walker | July 18, 1981 | August 12, 1981 | October 25, 1986 | Ronald Reagan | |
| 13 | James R. Lilley | October 16, 1986 | November 26, 1986 | January 3, 1989 | Ronald Reagan | |
| 14 | Donald Gregg | September 14, 1989 | September 27, 1989 | February 27, 1993 | George H. W. Bush | |
| — | Raymond Burghardt | (acting) | February 27, 1993 | November 2, 1993 | (acting) | Chargé d’Affaires ad interim |
| 15 | James T. Laney | October 15, 1993 | November 2, 1993 | February 5, 1996 | Bill Clinton | |
| — | Richard A. Christenson | (acting) | February 5, 1996 | December 15, 1997 | (acting) | Chargé d’Affaires ad interim |
| 16 | Stephen W. Bosworth | October 24, 1997 | December 15, 1997 | February 10, 2001 | Bill Clinton | |
| — | Evans Revere | (acting) | February 10, 2001 | September 12, 2001 | (acting) | Chargé d’Affaires ad interim |
| 17 | Thomas C. Hubbard | August 3, 2001 | September 12, 2001 | April 17, 2004 | George W. Bush | |
| 18 | Christopher R. Hill | May 12, 2004 | September 1, 2004 | April 12, 2005 | George W. Bush | |
| — | Mark C. Minton | (acting) | April 12, 2005 | October 17, 2005 | (acting) | Chargé d’Affaires ad interim |
| 19 | Alexander R. Vershbow | October 12, 2005 | October 17, 2005 | September 18, 2008 | George W. Bush | |
| 20 | Kathleen Stephens | August 4, 2008 | October 6, 2008 | October 23, 2011 | George W. Bush | |
| 21 | Sung Kim | October 13, 2011 | November 25, 2011 | October 24, 2014 | Barack Obama | |
| 22 | Mark Lippert | September 26, 2014 | November 21, 2014 | January 20, 2017 | Barack Obama | |
| — | Marc Knapper | (acting) | January 20, 2017 | July 7, 2018 | (acting) | Chargé d’Affaires ad interim |
| 23 | Harry B. Harris Jr. | June 29, 2018 | July 25, 2018 | January 20, 2021 | Donald Trump | |
| — | Robert G. Rapson | (acting) | January 20, 2021 | July 15, 2021 | (acting) | Chargé d’Affaires ad interim |
| — | Christopher Del Corso | (acting) | July 15, 2021 | July 10, 2022 | (acting) | Chargé d’Affaires ad interim |
| 24 | Philip S. Goldberg | May 5, 2022 | July 12, 2022 | January 10, 2025 | Joe Biden | |
| — | Joseph Y. Yun | (acting) | January 10, 2025 | Incumbent | (acting) | Chargé d’Affaires ad interim |