Dear Friend:

We are pleased to share with you that Sydney Seiler will virtually address the ICAS Spring Symposium Special slated on May 21, 2021 in Washington, DC.

Sydney Seiler, a member of the Senior National Intelligence Service since 2006, is the National Intelligence Officer (NIO) for North Korea. In this role, he oversees the production of coordinated intelligence community strategic analysis on North Korea while serving as the DNI’s senior subject matter expert and analytic advisor on North Korea issues in support of the DNI's role as the principal intelligence adviser to the President. Syd also leads analytic outreach efforts to leverage expertise and capabilities from outside the US intelligence community to enhance the community's analysis on North Korea issues. He assumed the NIO role after having served as the Senior Defense Intelligence Expert for North Korea at U.S. Forces Korea, where he was the principal advisor and senior expert on Korean Peninsula security issues to the Commander and the broader Defense Intelligence Enterprise.

From 2014 to 2015, Syd served as the U.S. Special Envoy for the Six Party Talks, where he coordinated U.S. diplomacy and policy on the DPRK, led negotiations with North Korea, and conducted day-to-day engagement with Six-Party and other international partners. Before that Syd served as the Director for Korea on the National Security Council Staff from April 2011 to August 2014, advising the President and senior White House officials on Korea issues while serving as the senior White House representative in negotiations with North Korea. He participated in numerous Six-Party Talks between 2003 and 2005, and played a central role as the IC lead in the Illicit Activities Initiative targeting North Korea.

Syd has also had a variety of assignments across the intelligence community to include the DNI National Intelligence Manager for North Korea, the Central Intelligence Agency Directorate of Analysis, CIA’s Directorate of Operations, and CIA’s Open Source Center. He also served with the National Security Agency and the Defense Attaché Office, Seoul.

Syd is a native-level speaker of Korean, received his Masters of Arts degree in Korean Studies from Yonsei University's Graduate School of International Studies, and is a graduate of the Korean language programs of the Defense Language Institute and Yonsei University. He is the author of the book, Kim Il Song 1941-1948: The Creation of a Legend, the Building of a Regime, and is a recipient of the National Intelligence Superior Service Medal, and the ROK Order of National Security Merit Cheonsu Medal.

Thank you.