Seoul: The U.S. Embassy in South Korea shared a video message from the incoming U.S. Ambassador, Michelle Steel, expressing her enthusiasm and commitment to her new role before her arrival in Seoul. "I am so honored to serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to South Korea," Steel declared in the video, which included both English subtitles and a Korean translation. She added, "I am just looking forward to meeting you all."

According to Yonhap News Agency, the embassy announced that Steel will assume her post soon and is eager to enhance the relations between the United States and South Korea. Her appointment follows a successful Senate confirmation hearing and the South Korean government's formal approval of her role as a foreign envoy.

Michelle Steel will be the second Korean American to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, succeeding former Ambassador Sung Kim, who served from 2011 to 2014. Born in Seoul as Park Eun-joo in 1955, Steel moved to the United States with her family in 1975 and is fluent in Korean.

Steel's political career includes serving on the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders during Trump's first term. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2020 and reelected in 2022, although she narrowly lost her bid for reelection in 2024.