As the two Koreas paraded under a united banner at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang on February 9th, the U.S. ambassador to South Korea was a notable absentee at the event. Victor Cha was expected to become the next U.S. ambassador to South Korea but his appointment was withdrawn in late January due to his views on a possible preventative strike against North Korea's nuclear facilities. His concerns about military action put him at odds with the Trump administration, however, and the position of ambassador still remains vacant in Seoul. This story isn't all that unusual given that South Korea is one of 45 countries around the world without a U.S. ambassador, according to the U.S. State Department. In February 2018, Australia, Germany, Turkey and Saudi Arabia all appear among the long list of nations without a U.S. ambassador.

Source: Forbes February 20, 2018 13:07 UTC