US Ambassador Steel leans into Korean American identity before diplomatic debut

U.S. Ambassador to Korea Michelle Steel, left, holds a "hotteok," a Korean sweet pancake, alongside a local vendor in Namdaemun Market, central Seoul, Saturday. Captured from Steel's X account

U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Michelle Steel is leaning into her Korean American identity through a series of personal, ground-level appearances across Seoul before formally beginning her diplomatic duties, a different approach from that of her most recent predecessors.

Since arriving in Seoul on Thursday, Steel has visited several landmarks near the U.S. Embassy over the weekend, engaging directly with the public before completing the formal steps required to assume her post. Her public engagement has come notably faster than that of her predecessors, former Ambassadors Harry Harris and Philip Goldberg, who refrained from active public appearances before presenting their credentials to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Posting on her X account for the first time as ambassador on Friday, Steel shared a photo taken in front of the King Sejong statue in Gwanghwamun Square — just across the U.S. Embassy, which is visible in the background — featuring captions in both Korean and English, with the Korean text appearing first.

“Walking past the King Sejong statue today reminded me of Korea’s remarkable legacy of innovation and leadership. Excited for the journey ahead,” she wrote.

U.S. Ambassador to Korea Michelle Steel poses in front of the King Sejong statue in Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Steel's X account

On Saturday, she shared memories of her visit to Namdaemun Market alongside photos of local shopkeepers.

“Returning to Namdaemun Market after so many years brought back so many memories. Much has changed, but the warmth, energy, and familiar sights felt just as I remembered. It is wonderful to rediscover Seoul — a city that is both familiar and new to me,” she wrote.

While she posted nothing on Thursday or Sunday, Steel is said to have attended Youngnak Church on those days, a landmark church founded in 1945 by 27 Christian refugees who fled North Korea to escape religious suppression under the communist regime. Steel's own parents, who fled to the South from the North, were known attendees of the church.

Steel is the second Korean American to serve as U.S. ambassador to South Korea, following Sung Kim, who held the post from 2011 to 2014. A former two-term Republican congresswoman, Steel is making her debut as a diplomat and her early, hands-on public outreach appears to reflect an effort to broaden her engagement ahead of a full slate of upcoming bilateral discussions.

Michelle Steel, the new U.S. ambassador to Korea, walks into a room to make a statement after her arrival at Incheon International Airport, Thursday. AFP-Yonhap

The two countries face a range of pressing bilateral issues, including regulatory friction over U.S.-incorporated Coupang, the implementation of the leaders’ joint fact sheet and the transition of wartime operational control.

The U.S. ambassadorial post had remained vacant since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, creating a diplomatic void despite the close yet complicated relations between the two allies. Expectations are high that Steel can help bridge the two allies, drawing on both her close ties to Trump and her Korean heritage.

Steel is now expected to formally begin her official duties as early as Tuesday, when she is scheduled to meet Foreign Minister Cho Hyun.

According to sources, she will submit copies of her credentials that day to the foreign ministry's chief of protocol — a required step for ambassadors to begin official duties in South Korea — with the meeting with Cho, traditionally serving as a courtesy visit on the same occasion.

The process, usually completed shortly after an ambassador's arrival, was delayed because both Cho and ministry chief of protocol Kang Sang-wook were accompanying President Lee Jae Myung on state visits to the U.S. and South America from July 24 to Monday.

After meeting with the foreign minister and chief of protocol, Steel is expected to meet the president to submit her original credentials.