Yuri Kim (ambassador)

Yuri Kim (born c. 1972) is a U.S. diplomat, currently serving as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasian Affairs. She was the United States Ambassador to Albania 2020 - 2023. Kim is the first Korean-American woman to represent the United States as an Ambassador and the first U.S. ambassador from Guam.

Early life and education
Kim was born in South Korea and grew up on the Pacific Island of Guam. She earned a B.A. (in 1993) from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.Phil. from University of Cambridge. In addition to English she speaks Korean, Mandarin, Japanese, and Turkish.

Career
Kim is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with experience across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Kim served as the Director of the State Department's Center for the Study of Diplomacy, Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of State, and Director of the Office of European Security and Political-Military Affairs. Kim served as the Director of the Office of Southern European Affairs in the State Department's Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs from 2018 to 2019.

Earlier in her career, Kim served as Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and was a member of the American delegation to the Six-Party Talks focused on ending North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. She was also a Special Assistant to Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Kim was confirmed as Ambassador to Albania by a voice vote of the full Senate on December 19, 2019, and presented her credentials to Albanian President Ilir Meta in Tirana on January 27, 2020. During her diplomatic mission in Albania, Yuri Kim is supporting the growth of American investments in Albania.

Personal life
Kim speaks Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Turkish, as well as English.