Mark W. Lippert

Following Obama's inauguration in January 2009, he was appointed Deputy Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff for the National Security Council, a position which had not existed in the Bush administration, but had existed in previous administrations.[13] During his time as chief of staff, Lippert oversaw the merger of the staffs of the Homeland Security Council, which had been created in October 2001 by President Bush, and the National Security Council, into a single National Security Staff.[14] Unlike his recent predecessors, then-National Security Advisor General Jim Jones delegated much of the day-to-day responsibilities for the National Security Council to his deputy, Tom Donilon, and to a couple of Obama campaign veterans, including Denis McDonough and Mark Lippert.[15]

In October 2009, Lippert resigned from the National Security Council to return to active duty in the Navy.[16] There was speculation surrounding Lippert's resignation that he was pushed to leave due to significant disagreements with General Jones, especially with respect to the troop surge.[13] Jones accused Lippert of leaking information about him to Bob Woodward for Obama's Wars.[17] Lippert was succeeded by Denis McDonough, who would go on to later serve as Deputy National Security Advisor, then White House Chief of Staff. Lippert had originally recruited McDonough to serve as then-Senator Obama's foreign policy advisor during his 2007 deployment to Iraq.

Lippert spent two years serving as an intelligence officer with the Navy SEALs. He remained on the White House payroll while on active duty, which is permitted by federal law, but caused some controversy.[18]

After completing his active duty with the Navy, Lippert was nominated by President Obama in October 2011 to succeed General Wallace "Chip" Gregson as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs.[13] While Lippert's nomination was held up for several months due to holds placed on it by Senators John McCain and John Cornyn Lippert's relationship with former National Security Advisor Jim Jones,[19] and over F-16 sales to Taiwan,[20] respectively, he was confirmed by the Senate in a voice vote in April 2012.[17] Among Lippert's most important accomplishments was building defense relations with friends, partners, and allies in the region. Stars and Stripes reported that Lippert "played a key role in DOD's push to deepen defense ties with Asian nations as the Pentagon implements a new strategy aimed at building U.S. influence in Asia ... and has transformed our relationship in the Pacific."[21]

When Kurt Campbell resigned as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs in February 2013, Lippert was rumoured as a possible replacement for Campbell.[22] Lippert was named newly confirmed Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel's Chief of Staff in early May 2013.[23]

On May 1, 2014, President Obama announced his intention to nominate Lippert to be United States Ambassador to South Korea.[24] The United States Senate voted to confirm Lippert's nomination on September 18, 2014.[25] He was sworn in as the new ambassador by Secretary of State John Kerry in October 2014. At 41, Lippert became the youngest Ambassador in the history of the relationship. Yonhap reported that at the ceremony, U.S. President Barack Obama made a "surprise appearance ... in a show of his closeness and friendship with the new envoy."[26] At the end of his term JoongAng Daily, the second largest newspaper in South Korea, called Lippert "the best U.S. envoy to date".

His tenure in Seoul was widely praised in the U.S. and in Korea. Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea called Lippert the best ever U.S. Ambassador to Korea stating "You left an indelible mark in the history of the U.S.–Korea alliance. ... Our alliance relationship is the best it has ever been and you are the best ever American ambassador I have ever seen."[27] The top Asia advisor in the George W. Bush White House stated "Ambassador Mark Lippert leaves Seoul as the most popular U.S. Ambassador in the history of U.S.–Korea relations. ... This reflects ... his effectiveness at advancing U.S. interests while simultaneously strengthening bonds between the two countries. ... Lippert enjoy[ed] near unanimous bipartisan support and admiration from Democrats and Republicans for the job he has done."[28]

In January 2015, Ambassador Lippert's wife Robyn Lippert gave birth to their first child, a boy, at Yonsei Severance Hospital in Seoul, becoming the first U.S. Ambassador with a child born on Korean soil. They gave their son a Korean name, James William Sejun Lippert. Sejun means "to become an exceptional person as a result of leading an honest and clean life." The Korean middle name was chosen after consulting with a Saju specialist—pertaining to the Four Pillars of Destiny which are the year, month, date, and hour of the birth that are believed to decide a person's destiny or faith. The couple used his Korean name as a primary name. In November 2016, the Lipperts had a daughter, Caroline Saehee, also given a Korean middle name by the Saju process meaning "clean and hopeful life". They used Saehee as her principal name.

At about 7:40 a.m. on March 5, 2015, Lippert was attacked by a knife-wielding man at a restaurant attached to Sejong Center in downtown Seoul, where he was scheduled to give a speech at a meeting of the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation.[29] The assailant, Kim Ki-jong, is a member of Uri Madang, a progressive cultural organization opposed to the Korean War.[30] He inflicted wounds on Lippert's left arm as well as a four-inch cut on the right side of the ambassador's face, requiring 80 stitches.[29] Lippert underwent surgery at Yonsei University's Severance Hospital in Seoul. While his injuries were not life-threatening, doctors stated that it would take several months for Lippert to regain use of his fingers.[29] A police official said that the knife used in the attack was 10 inches (25 cm) long [29] and Lippert later reported that the blade penetrated to within 2 cm of his carotid artery.[31] ABC News summarized the immediate aftermath of the attack as follows: "Ambassador Lippert, an Iraq war veteran, defended himself from the attack. Lippert was rushed to a hospital where he was treated for deep cuts to his face, his arm, and his hand. ... [He] kept his cool throughout the incident."[32]

During the attack and while being subdued by security, Kim screamed that the rival Koreas should be unified and told reporters that he had attacked Lippert to protest the annual United States–South Korean joint military exercises.[29] Kim has a record of militant Korean nationalist activism; he attacked the Japanese ambassador to South Korea in 2010 and was sentenced to a three-year suspended prison term.[33][34][35][36] On September 11, 2015, Kim was sentenced to twelve years in prison for the attack.[37]

Lippert was widely praised for his handling of the incident. Many commentators noted his cool and calm demeanor during the attack and his deft handling of public communications in the hours and days after. The leading Korean paper ran an editorial stating: "Kudos goes to the victim. ... [Lippert] remained calm even as he was rushed to the hospital. The scene left a deep impression on the public. ... It may not have been easy to keep a calm face with blood gushing down his neck, but Lippert did and assured the people around him that he was OK. As soon as he woke up from surgery, he wrote on his Twitter account that he was doing well. 'Let's go together,' he wrote in Korean."[38] Historian Max Boot wrote "By all accounts Mark Lippert ... is an exemplary Ambassador. ... he has further enhanced his reputation with the sang-froid with which he handled a vicious attack. ... his example shows how diplomats, too, serve on the front lines and deserve respect for the risks they run and what they can accomplish to advance our country's interests."[39]

Since 2017, Lippert has been the vice president for international affairs at Boeing and later Executive Vice President, Samsung Electronics America.[2]