U.S. President Joe Biden is said to have named U.S. Ambassador to Colombia Philip Goldberg as the new ambassador to South Korea. 

That’s according to a source familiar with the issue on Wednesday who said the U.S. State Department has asked the South Korean government for an agrément on the appointment. 

A senior official of the presidential office in Seoul said the government has been notified of a nominee for the post, which has been vacant for over a year. 

Washington is set to officially announce Goldberg’s nomination once Seoul grants the agrément. Goldberg would then take steps for his confirmation at the Senate. 

Goldberg is a career ambassador, which is the highest rank bestowed on U.S. foreign service officers. He has been serving as the U.S. ambassador to Colombia since 2019 after working as ambassador to the Philippines and Bolivia, among other posts. 

In particular, Goldberg served as coordinator for the implementation of UN sanctions on North Korea from 2009 to 2010 during the Barack Obama administration.