Richard A. Christenson, Deputy Chief of Mission

Mr. Christenson was born in Washington D.C. on July 26, 1945 and raised in Wisconsin. In 1967 he graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee with bachelor's degree in English Literature. From 1967 to 1969 he served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mokpo, Korea. In 1973 he received a master's degree in Asian Studies from the University of Washington in Seattle. That same year he entered the Foreign Service.

His first Foreign Service assignment was to the U.S. Embassy in Korea, where he served first as Vice Consul and then as Staff Aide to Ambassador Richard Sneider. From 1976 to 1978 he served on the Japan Desk at the Department of State, then studied Japanese at the Foreign Service Institute. From 1979 to 1983 he was assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Japan, where he served first as Staff Aide to Ambassador Mike Mansfield and then as a Political Officer analyzing and reporting on Japanese politics. From 1983 to 1985 he was assigned to the Department of State's Congressional Relations Bureau, where he served as liaison with congressional staff members on foreign policy issues. From 1985 to 1987 he served in the Department of State as Desk Officer for Sweden and Finland.

Mr. Christenson was again assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Korea from 1988 to 1991 as Chief of Political-Military Affairs. From 1991 to 1994 he served as Consul General at the U.S. Consulate-General in Okinawa, Japan. From 1994 to 1996 he served in the Department of State as Deputy Director for Korean Affairs. He then served as Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Korea from 1996 to 2000. He spent the following year as a Senior Fellow at the U.S. Institute of Peace. In July 2001 he was assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo as Deputy Chief of Mission.

He speaks Japanese and Korean.

Mr. Christenson is married to Hwa-young Hanna Chung. They have two children.