Boeing on Wednesday named Eric John, a former international service officer for the U.S. government, as new president of Boeing Korea.

The new Korean chief will join the company on May 30 after three decades of international service with the U.S. government. He succeeds Pat Gaines, who retires in September after 27 years with the company.

Before joining Boeing, John was a member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service. He served as the principal coordinator of U.S. government policy on an array of international security agreements.

John is a graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and holds a master’s degree in national security studies from the National War College. He is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and speaks Korean and Vietnamese.

“Eric brings valuable experience from the public sector and international government operations and will help further expand our presence and collaboration with Korean customers, partners, communities and employees,” said Shep Hill, president of Boeing International and senior vice president of Business Development and Strategy.

(jylee@heraldcorp.com)