
Robert R. King served as special envoy for North Korea human rights issues at the U.S. Department of State. He was nominated by President Barack Obama, confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and served in that position from November 2009 to January 2017. Ambassador King led U.S. efforts to press North Korea for progress on its human rights, U.S. humanitarian work in North Korea, and the treatment of U.S. citizens being held in the North. He represented the United States in international organizations dealing with these issues. Earlier, Dr. King was staff director of the House Foreign Affairs Committee under Chairmen Tom Lantos and Howard Berman and prior to that was a senior professional staff member of the committee (1993–2009). He was concurrently chief of staff to Representative Tom Lantos (1983–2009). In the 1970s, as a White House fellow, he was a member of the National Security Council staff working with Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski in the Jimmy Carter administration. He was also assistant director of research and senior analyst at Radio Free Europe in Munich Germany (1970–1977). Dr. King holds a Ph.D. in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and a B.A. in political science from Brigham Young University. An adjunct professor, he has taught courses in international relations and U.S. foreign policy in a number of graduate and undergraduate programs. He was awarded the Knight’s Cross Order of Merit by the president of the Republic of Hungary.
Areas of Expertise
All content by Robert R. King
Filter by
North Korean Human Rights at a New Juncture: COVID, Regional Players, and South Korea-U.S. Cooperation
Event by Victor Cha , Robert R. King , Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) , Frank Wolf , Amb. Shin-wha Lee , and Gi-Wook Shin — October 6, 2022

Stop Dawdling—Name a Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights
Commentary by Robert R. King — June 9, 2022

UN Special Rapporteur’s Final Message on North Korea Urges Respect for Human Rights and Calls for Humanitarian Aid
Commentary by Robert R. King — March 31, 2022

Update on North Korean Human Rights on the First Anniversary of the Biden Inauguration
Commentary by Robert R. King — January 13, 2022

Book Launch: The North Korean Conundrum
Event by Victor Cha , Robert R. King , Gi-Wook Shin , and Nat Kretchun — October 28, 2021

UN Health and Labor Organizations Rank North Korea Worst on Work-Related Disease and Injury
Commentary by Robert R. King — October 15, 2021

North Korean Human Rights and the Biden Administration
Podcast Episode by Victor Cha and Robert R. King — September 14, 2021

When Will the United States Have a Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights?
Commentary by Robert R. King — September 10, 2021

Concern in Pyongyang over Protests in Havana?
Commentary by Robert R. King — August 3, 2021

Patterns of Impunity: Human Rights in North Korea and the Role of the U.S. Special Envoy
Event by Robert R. King , Victor Cha , Roberta Cohen , and Ji Seong-ho — June 17, 2021
