The United States Special Envoy for North Korean human rights issues Robert King is set to retire after over seven years in the job, a State Department source confirmed to NK News on Thursday.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said King’s retirement was “imminent” and that, as yet, there was no information about his successor.

Robert King was appointed by President Barack Obama to oversee U.S. State Department work related to human rights in North Korea in November 2009, and during his tenure was involved in numerous attempts to free Americans imprisoned in the DPRK.

The ambassador visited Pyongyang