The US Embassy in Seoul announced Wednesday via social media that Michelle Steel, the new US ambassador to South Korea, will arrive soon. [US Embassy in Seoul X account]
The US Embassy in Seoul announced Wednesday via social media that Michelle Steel, the new US ambassador to South Korea, will arrive soon. [US Embassy in Seoul X account]

The US Embassy in Seoul announced Wednesday that Michelle Steel, the new US ambassador to South Korea, will arrive in Seoul soon.

The embassy posted the announcement on X, formerly Twitter, introducing Steel to its followers.

The post included a 20-second video in which Steel said she was "deeply honored" to serve as the next US ambassador to South Korea and that she looked forward to meeting people in person soon.

Steel opened and closed her remarks in Korean, greeting viewers with "annyeonghaseyo yeoreobun" and signing off with "gamsahamnida" — "hello, everyone" and "thank you."

Steel recently completed the US Senate confirmation process and received the South Korean government's agrément, clearing the way for her imminent arrival.

She will become the second Korean American ambassador to South Korea since Sung Kim, who served from 2011 to 2014.

The ambassadorship had been vacant for an extended period after Philip Goldberg, appointed under the Joe Biden administration, departed in January last year.

Born in Seoul in 1955, Steel immigrated to the United States in 1975. Before her diplomatic appointment, she served as an elected member of the California State Board of Equalization and as a supervisor of Orange County, then spent four years in the US House of Representatives as a Republican lawmaker beginning in 2021.


moone@heraldcorp.com