U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced that Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman is retiring from her role as second in command at the State Department.

In a statement Friday, the top diplomat said that Sherman has helped lead U.S. engagement in the Indo-Pacific, the region where the history of the 21st century will be written, and that she has deepened bonds with friends around the world, especially with the Republic of Korea, Japan and the European Union.

Blinken said she broke barriers as the first female under secretary of state for political affairs and the first female deputy secretary of state. He added her remarkable career -- which spans more than three decades, three presidents and five secretaries of state -- addressed some of the toughest foreign policy challenges of our time. 

He said America is safer and more secure, and our partnerships more robust, due to her leadership.

Sherman is a leading Korea expert in the U.S. administration, having served as North Korean policy coordinator under former President Bill Clinton. 

She accompanied former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright during her visit to Pyongyang and held several vice foreign ministerial talks with Seoul and Tokyo under the Biden administration amid escalating North Korean provocations.

She also closely coordinated with South Korean ambassador Cho Hyun-dong to prepare for President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit to the U.S. last month.