As The North Korean Nuclear Crisis Grows, There Are Still No U.S. Ambassadors In China, South Korea, Or Japan

View of the Department of State in Washington, DC. (Kevin Lamarque/courtesy Reuters)

CNBC: There's an Asia nuclear crisis going on, and the US still doesn't have ambassadors in China, South Korea or Japan

* North Korea's nuclear threat is a priority for the Trump administration.
* But the U.S. has not filled key diplomatic positions in the region, including allied nations.
* Analysts say the lack of personnel makes it impossible for the U.S. to act.

The United States has failed to put in place enough senior diplomats to tackle the North Korean nuclear threat and trade issues in East Asia, international policy experts told an audience this week.

"You'd think we're going into a crisis with North Korea, and there's no ambassador in Seoul, in Tokyo, in Beijing or an assistant secretary for East Asia. You wonder, beyond the tweets and what the White House says, how actually the work of the government is going to get done," said Vali Nasr, dean of the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a former senior advisor on Afghanistan and Pakistan under Ambassador Richard Holbrooke.

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WNU Editor: Terry Branstad is still waiting to be confirmed .... US Ambassador to China promises to mend Washington-Beijing ties (Yahoo News). Ditto for Japan .... Trump picks Tenn. businessman for ambassador to Japan (The Hill). No one has been nominated for South Korea.

Update: There are a lot of posts still vacant .... Tracking how many key positions Trump has filled so far (Washington Post).