Sydney Seiler

Mr. Sydney Seiler is a Senior Advisor for the Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He worked for over four decades in the U.S. government, focusing on Korean issues as a senior policymaker, diplomat, and intelligence officer. He served as the National Intelligence Officer for North Korea, the U.S. Special Envoy for Six-Party Talks, and the White House National Security Council Staff’s Director for Korea. His assignments in the intelligence community included roles in the Central Intelligence Agency Directorate of Analysis and Directorate of Operations, the National Security Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the Office of the Director for National Intelligence. Mr. Seiler served in Korea for 17 years, is fluent in Korean, and was a member of the Senior National Intelligence Service (2006-2023). He was awarded the Presidential Rank of Meritorious Senior National Intelligence Officer, the National Intelligence Superior Service Medal, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint Distinguished Civilian Service Award, and the President of the Republic of Korea’s Cheonsu Medal Order of National Security Merit.