U.S. diplomat Joseph Yun likes to joke that his mother has a rule about Washington titles: the shorter it is, the more important the job. President? The most important. Vice President? Close.

So when Yun told his mother about his latest title – Special Representative for North Korea Policy and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Japan and Korea – she was hardly impressed, according to his retelling.

But here’s the truth: in a time when North Korea consistently remains at the top of our national security agenda, Yun’s job may be one of the most important in Washington.

That’s why the news that Yun is retiring this Friday – and the question of who will replace him – matters. As the President conducts his foreign policy on Twitter and relies on the counsel of hardline political appointees with limited expertise on the Korean peninsula, it’s crucial that Yun’s position go to a career diplomat of similar caliber.

Many of the comments lamenting Yun’s departure focus on his reported predilection toward diplomatic options and more moderate views on the use of force against North Korea. But the reason we need a career diplomat in Yun’s position isn’t just about the specific views a professional would bring to the policy process. Career diplomats should feel empowered to provide frank and well-informed advice to U.S. policymakers, but at the end of the day, they will represent the administration’s policies faithfully.

I have never met a single Foreign Service Officer who doesn’t take that responsibility very seriously, regardless of personal partisan leanings or policy preferences.

In a time when North Korea consistently remains at the top of our national security agenda, Yun’s job may be one of the most important in Washington

CAREER DIPLOMATS WANTED

The importance of Yun’s job comes down to the value of doing North Korea diplomacy well. Former U.S. career diplomat Tom Countryman said it best: we need to recognize “the difference between foreign policy, which must follow the President’s priorities, and diplomacy, which is a profession and a skill.” Many thoughtful and strategic people of different backgrounds can and should contribute to a good foreign policy.

But it takes experience and knowledge to understand how best to influence other people and other governments, to – as Countryman puts it – “get[] inside the decision cycle of other countries.”  Whether the job is mostly about tightening our North Korea pressure campaign – or actually talking with North Korea – it should be done by someone who knows how to do it well.

After all, President Trump has plenty of people with political backgrounds who can weigh in on North Korea policy at the White House. But without Yun, he won’t have a career diplomat on his team to execute his policies effectively.

Of course, it’s also important that Yun’s successor bring the right set of skills for this moment and this team. If I’ve learned anything from watching talented diplomats in action, it’s that no one diplomat is the same, nor is there one specific definition of what makes a good diplomat. Some, like Sung Kim or Bill Burns, are exceptionally skilled at staying quiet and forcing foreign counterparts to put their cards on the table. Others are boisterous and charming.

Some, like Mark Lippert, have a great command of what it takes to influence the public and how to mobilize resources to advance their priorities. Some are strategic; others are tactical and reactive. Some bring value for how they stand out from others on their team; Americans liked former Japanese vice foreign minister Akitaka Saiki, for example, because he was refreshingly blunt in a diplomatic corps known for its subtlety.

No career diplomat has the perfect skillset for every situation, so the key is to find one whose skills fit the problem at hand and complement others on the team.

At this stage, the career diplomat easiest to imagine in Yun’s job – at least in an acting capacity – is current State Department Korea Desk Director Mark Lambert. Lambert has already been executing the duties of what used to be the Special Envoy for Six-Party Talks, traveling the world on behalf of our North Korea pressure campaign.

Perhaps the most strategic thinker currently in the State Department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Lambert has a keen understanding of U.S. strategy in the Asia-Pacific and brings a strong emphasis on making sure diplomats understand where their efforts fit into the big picture. More at home chatting with someone over a Lagavulin scotch (always neat) and a cigar rather than in a lifeless conference room, Lambert builds personal relationships easily and cultivates a sense that people can count on him.

If Lambert is Yun’s successor, these traits should give both the Trump administration and outside observers a lot of confidence. His work on the pressure campaign and his network of contacts who trust him across Asia (Lambert has served in Beijing, Hanoi, and Tokyo, to name a few) will make him particularly effective in coordinating with allies and partners while giving the administration a clear sense of where those partners stand.

Once Yun’s successor is named, it’s crucial that the White House give the Special Representative substantially more trust and flexibility

His depth of knowledge about the region and command of grand strategy will make his frank advice particularly valuable. And his ability to build good relationships will serve him well in the tumultuous internal politics of the Trump administration.

What’s more, Lambert already has a relationship with Susan Thornton, a China hand, like Lambert, and the head of the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Other talented career diplomats – like Marc Knapper, the chargé d’affaires (acting U.S. Ambassador) in Seoul – could do the job very well, too.

TRUST AND FLEXIBILITY

But whoever the Trump administration picks, it would be a mistake not to pick a career diplomat with the right skills and experience. The administration can always bring in think tankers, intelligence analysts, generals, and politicians to weigh in on North Korea at the NSC. None of those people would bring the added value of a seasoned diplomat at State.

Once Yun’s successor is named, it’s crucial that the White House give the Special Representative substantially more trust and flexibility. North Korea policy and messaging directed toward North Koreans has long been tightly controlled by the White House. But delivering carefully vetted talking points is not a good use of an experienced career diplomat. Progress is more likely when diplomats feel flexible enough to speak more personally, informally testing out new ideas and probing for openings.

Often, when foreign diplomats were looking for compromises, I found they’d preface an idea with “This is just a personal idea, but . . .” or “This is my personal view, so don’t quote me on this.”

Sometimes that might mean they were genuinely offering a personal view and hoping they could take a positive reaction from us into their bureaucratic debate – or couching an informal proposal as a personal one to gauge reactions without backing down from an official position. Should there be talks with North Korea, the Special Representative must have the flexibility to take the initiative personally and try creative approaches.

Joseph Yun has given the United States years of dedicated and faithful service. His retirement is a major loss for the U.S. diplomatic corps and the Asia team at the State Department. But his retirement need not be a permanent loss for our North Korea policy. All that’s required is for the Trump administration to make the right choice.

Edited by Oliver Hotham

Featured image: CSIS screengrab