ED New US envoy for complex alliance
Steel faces challenge of keeping Korea-US alliance strong
Michelle Steel testifies during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on her nomination as U.S. ambassador to Korea on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 20, 2026. Reuters-Yonhap
The U.S. Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump’s nomination of Michelle Park Steel as Washington's new ambassador to South Korea. According to South Korea’s foreign ministry, several procedural steps, including the issuance of diplomatic credentials, must be completed before she arrives to assume her post.
Steel will be the second Korean American to serve as the U.S. ambassador to South Korea, following Sung Kim, who served from 2011 to 2014.
Being an envoy with Korean roots can be both an asset and a challenge. Steel can leverage her cultural background and linguistic abilities as a trilingual speaker of English, Korean and Japanese to further strengthen ties between the two countries and advance their shared goals. At the same time, her ethnic background could place her in the middle of competing expectations from both her country of origin and her adopted homeland, the United States. This potential challenge may become particularly pronounced when bilateral relations face difficult tests.
The new U.S. envoy takes office at a time when South Korea-U.S. relations have shown signs of strain. One area of disagreement concerns the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON). U.S. Forces Korea has set a goal of meeting the necessary conditions for OPCON transfer by 2029, while Seoul hopes to assume control as early as possible.
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back recently acknowledged that the two sides are not fully aligned on the issue. Asked whether Washington and Seoul differ on the timing of the transfer, Ahn did not dismiss the possibility.
“Even couples have different ideas about the same issue. In this sense, it is not strange that two different countries have different views about the transfer of wartime operational control,” he said during a KBS news program that aired Sunday.
Despite such differences, President Lee Jae Myung expressed confidence in the strength of South Korea-U.S. relations. Speaking at a press conference following the G7 Summit in France, he said he had a productive and candid conversation with Trump on the sidelines of the gathering.
According to Lee, Trump asked whether South Korea could quickly build 10 warships for the United States. “I answered, ‘Of course,’ and said we would do our best to meet any tight deadlines,” Lee told reporters.
Lee added that the two leaders exchanged views on the Korean Peninsula and the South Korea-U.S. alliance, while also spending considerable time discussing North Korea’s denuclearization.
Attention is now focused on Steel’s appointment as the next U.S. ambassador to South Korea. The former two-term Republican congresswoman has pledged to strengthen ties between the two allies.
During a Senate confirmation hearing on May 10, Steel said she would continue working to reinforce the U.S.-South Korea alliance, describing it as the linchpin of peace, security and prosperity in Northeast Asia.
“Our combined defense posture, anchored by the 28,500 members of U.S. Forces Korea and reinforced by America’s extended nuclear deterrent, remains ironclad. It is the bedrock of our alliance,” she said.
While discussing her family history, including her father’s escape from North Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War, Steel cited the Korean proverb, “After hardship comes joy,” to illustrate her family’s journey and resilience.
As a politician with deep personal ties to Korea and extensive experience in U.S. politics, Steel appears well positioned to serve as ambassador to South Korea. She is expected to draw on her unique background and experience to further strengthen the alliance between the two countries and enhance trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the United States and Japan in response to the growing alignment among China, Russia and North Korea.