Lee Receives New US Envoy's Credentials, Hoping Steel Becomes a Strong Bridge

President Lee Jae-myung formally received the credentials of the new US ambassador on Wednesday, using the ceremony to voice hope that she would deepen an alliance already crowded with unfinished business. Lee accepted the credentials of Michelle Steel at the presidential office, a step that clears her to begin her work in full.

The president cast Steel's personal story as an asset. He said he hoped she would serve as a strong bridge between the two countries and help strengthen the alliance, drawing on her understanding of Korean culture and society to smooth the relationship.

A shared hope for dialogue

Lee framed the moment around the disputes the two governments still have to settle. Outstanding issues between the two countries, he said through presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung, could be resolved smoothly through reasonable and active dialogue and cooperation. It was an invitation to treat the alliance as a working partnership rather than a set of standoffs.

Steel answered in kind. According to Kang, the ambassador said she was delighted to take up her post in South Korea and pledged to engage extensively with the Korean government and people to promote mutual understanding, friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

An envoy with Korean roots

Steel arrives with a biography tailored to the role. Born in Seoul in 1955 and Korean American, she is the first Korean American woman to serve as Washington's ambassador to Korea, a distinction Lee pointed to as reason for optimism. She was joined at the ceremony by her husband, Shawn Steel, an attorney.

Her career runs through Republican politics. Steel served in the US House of Representatives from 2021 to 2025 and, before that, as vice chair of the California State Board of Equalization. She arrived in Korea on July 30, and Wednesday's ceremony formalized a posting that had already begun.

A crowded in-tray

The warmth of the ceremony sits against a demanding agenda. Steel inherits a set of thorny files, among them trade tensions that include the investigation into the Coupang data breach, talks over Korea's bid to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, and negotiations over uranium enrichment rights.

Layered on top is the follow-up to the recent Korea-US summit, whose agreements still have to be turned into action. The ambassador steps into a relationship that is broadly strong but busy with disputes, the kind that a well-placed envoy can help manage or, if mishandled, allow to fester.

Not the only new face

Steel was one of several envoys presenting credentials the same day. Lee also received the ambassadors of Portugal, the United Arab Emirates and Ireland, a routine round of diplomatic housekeeping that placed the American appointment among the day's arrivals.

For all the ceremony, the substance lies ahead. Lee has signaled the tone he wants, cooperative and talk-first, and has bet on Steel's roots to help set it. Whether that produces smoother outcomes on trade, submarines and the rest will be the real measure of what began as a handshake at the presidential office.