U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated the head of the U.S. Pacific Command, Admiral Harry Harris as U.S. ambassador to South Korea.
The announcement comes at a critical juncture, just weeks ahead of a landmark North Korea-U.S. summit scheduled to take place in Singapore.
If confirmed by the Senate, the 61-year old commander will fill a post that has been vacant since Trump took office in January 2017.
Harris has been leading the U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii for the past three years, which also oversees U.S. troops in South Korea.
He has expressed hawkish views on North Korea in the past, previously describing the regime as the "most volatile and dangerous threat" in the region.