President Donald Trump has announced his nomination of Allison Hooker, a former senior advisor for Asia at the National Security Council (NSC) who was responsible for North Korea negotiations during his first term as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.
According to the U.S. Congress on Wednesday, Trump formally notified the Senate of his nomination of Hooker for the position the previous day.
The Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs oversees regional and bilateral policy issues across the State Department, including the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, which manages U.S. policy toward South Korea.
Hooker previously worked as a senior analyst at the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research from 2001 to 2014. During the Trump administration (2017–2021), she handled Korean Peninsula affairs at the White House. She played a crucial role in the Trump-Kim Jong Un summits held in Singapore, Hanoi, and Panmunjom in 2018 and 2019.