New U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Arrives After 1.5 Years; Michelle Steel Says 'ROK and U.S. Will Realize Trump's Vision Together'

Newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Michelle Steel arrived in South Korea today (the 30th) and stated, "The United States and South Korea will work together to realize President Trump's vision for a stronger and more prosperous region."

In her arrival statement delivered at Incheon International Airport this afternoon, Ambassador Steel said, "The United States and the Republic of Korea have stood together for more than 140 years," adding, "Our alliance was forged in war and cemented in blood."

She continued, "Unwavering trust has been repeatedly proven through those who stood shoulder to shoulder to defend freedom," evaluating that "today, our alliance stands among the most powerful in the world."

Ambassador Steel stated, "In Gyeongju, President Trump and President Lee opened a new chapter in the ROK-U.S. alliance," adding, "I look forward to working with the Republic of Korea to ensure that our ironclad alliance remains a core anchor supporting peace and security in this region moving forward."

She further stated, "Together, we will realize the regional vision presented by President Trump—a region that is stronger, safer, and more prosperous than ever before."

At the beginning of her statement, Ambassador Steel greeted the public in Korean, saying, "I extend my warm greetings to the people of South Korea. I was born in Seoul, but I have come to represent the United States. Standing here once again brings a flood of emotions." She concluded her statement by greeting everyone in Korean once more, saying, "Thank you very much for allowing me to stand on this land again."

When asked by a reporter about her top priority during her tenure, she replied, "I will not take Q&A today. I have just arrived."

Born in Seoul in 1955, Ambassador Steel assumes her role as the new U.S. Ambassador to South Korea 1.5 years after former Ambassador Philip Goldberg departed last January.

Ambassador Steel previously immigrated to the United States, served as a member of the California State Board of Equalization and as an Orange County Supervisor, and served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2021 to 2025.

Having entered the U.S. House of Representatives in 2020 alongside Young Kim and Marilyn Strickland as one of the first Korean-American women to do so, she has consistently raised her voice for strengthening the ROK-U.S. alliance and addressing North Korean human rights issues during her term in office.

Her political orientation is evaluated as strongly conservative.

Her husband, attorney Shawn Steel, served as the chairman of the California Republican Party and is known to have played a major role in her entry into federal politics.

Ambassador Steel's parents are displaced people who fled North Korea during the Korean War.

In a video posted on her Facebook page in the past, Ambassador Steel stated, "My parents fled North Korea," adding, "We lost everything because of the socialist system, but we were given the opportunity to build a better life in America."

She also said, "I am well aware of the threat that socialism poses to the American Dream," and noted, "That is why I fight in Congress to protect our freedom and preserve the American Dream."

Ahead of Ambassador Steel's regional election in 2024, President Trump expressed his support via social media, describing her as an "America First patriot whose family escaped communism."

It is interpreted that her family history of leaving North Korea influenced her push during her tenure as a representative to urge intensified U.S. checks on China while raising her voice for the improvement of human rights for North Korean defectors.

In 2021, she urged via Twitter that "we must respond on a bipartisan basis to the threat of the Chinese Communist Party" and called for blocking the influence within the U.S. of Confucius Institutes, overseas educational institutions supported by the Chinese government.

In 2023, she participated in the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party established under the House Committee on Foreign Affairs to explore ways to check China.

At the time, Ambassador Steel stated, "On the China Select Committee, I will continue the fight to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for its horrific human rights abuses and the theft of intellectual property held by the United States."

In March 2024, she introduced a congressional resolution urging the U.S. government to take joint action with partner countries to resolve human rights issues faced by North Korean defectors in China, such as forced labor, detention, human trafficking, and forced repatriation.

Additionally, she has been evaluated as having a deep affection for South Korea, having taken the lead in responding to Harvard Law School Professor J. Mark Ramseyer's distortion of history regarding victims of Japan's wartime military sexual slavery, urged the expansion of COVID-19 vaccine supplies to South Korea, and introduced the "Divided Families National Registration Act" to help Korean-Americans separated from their families in North Korea since the Korean War reunite with them.

Ambassador Steel previously served as a member of the Asia-Pacific Advisory Committee under former President George W. Bush in 2001 and as co-chair of President Trump's Asia-Pacific Advisory Committee during his first administration in 2019, actively offering opinions on the White House's Asia-Pacific policy formulation.

During her term as a freshman lawmaker in 2021, she also joined other Republican lawmakers in opposing the "end-of-war declaration" pushed by the then Moon Jae-in administration of South Korea.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.