Trump nominates Michelle Steel as envoy to Seoul

April 14, 2026

Summary

Trump nominated former Rep. Michelle Park Steel as U.S. ambassador to South Korea, a post vacant since January 2025.

Why this matters

The nomination comes as the U.S. and South Korea work to update ties on defense and economic issues. If confirmed, Steel would also make history as the second Korean American and second woman to serve as U.S. ambassador to South Korea.

President Donald Trump nominated former California Rep. Michelle Park Steel as U.S. ambassador to South Korea, the White House said this week.

Steel, 70, served two terms as a Republican in the House from 2021 to 2025. She lost her 2024 reelection bid to Democrat Derek Tran.

“We expect that, once formally appointed, ambassador-designate Steel will contribute to strengthening bilateral relations and promoting friendship between the peoples of both countries,” South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Stars and Stripes in an email Tuesday.

Her nomination came as Seoul and Washington pursued efforts to update their relationship on defense and economic issues. It also followed Trump’s calls for South Korea to do more to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, citing the presence of tens of thousands of U.S. troops on the peninsula.

If confirmed by the Senate, Steel would become the second Korean American to serve in the role, after Sung Kim, who served from 2011 to 2014. She would also become the second woman to serve as U.S. ambassador to South Korea, after Kathleen Stephens, who served from 2008 to 2011.

The post has been vacant since former Ambassador Philip Goldberg left in January 2025. James Heller has been serving as chargé d’affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul.

In Congress, Steel introduced legislation on Korean issues, including the Korean American Divided Families National Registry Act in 2024, which sought to help Korean Americans reunite with relatives in North Korea who were separated after the Korean War. She also introduced legislation urging Congress to address humanitarian and human rights issues facing North Koreans in China.

Before serving in Congress, Steel was on the California State Board of Equalization from 2007 to 2015 and the Orange County Board of Supervisors from 2015 to 2020.

She earned a bachelor’s degree from Pepperdine University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Southern California.

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