SEOUL, July 6 (Xinhua) -- New U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Harry Harris will arrive in South Korea Saturday to assume his position, the U.S. embassy in Seoul said Friday.

Harris planned to give brief remarks to the media upon arrival at the Incheon International Airport at 6 p.m. local time (0900 GMT) Saturday, according to the U.S. embassy.

He was nominated by U.S. President Donald Trump on May 23 and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 28.

Harris commanded the U.S. Pacific Command, currently know as the Indo-Pacific Command, from May 2015 to May 2018.

He is the first Asian-American to hold four-star rank in the U.S. Navy and the first to head the U.S. Pacific Command.

The U.S. embassy said his mission in South Korea would come "at a pivotal time" following the historic summit on June 12 in Singapore between President Trump and Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

It said Seoul and Washington are seeking to achieve "the final, fully verified denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula and the promotion of peace, prosperity and security on the peninsula.

The post for U.S. ambassador to South Korea has been vacant since January last year.