The U.S. ambassador to South Korea thanked Samsung Heavy Industries on Thursday for hosting her and sharing its vision for shipbuilding cooperation between the two allies.
In a post on X, Ambassador Michelle Park Steel thanked the company for its “warm welcome.” She said that combining American and Korean expertise could strengthen both countries’ shipbuilding industries, drive innovation and create new opportunities for workers in each nation.
Steel did not say in the post where the meeting took place or whom she met. She also gave no details of any agreements or projects discussed.
Shipbuilding has become a central part of the U.S.-South Korea economic relationship. South Korea has pledged $150 billion to help revive the U.S. shipbuilding sector under an initiative known as “Make American Shipbuilding Great Again,” or MASGA, according to The Korea Times. The newspaper described the pledge as part of a bilateral trade and investment deal reached last year.
At a July event in Washington marking the opening of the Korea-U.S. Shipbuilding Partnership Center, Steel described the cooperation as an expansion of the alliance into new and important territory. She said strengthening the alliance was her top priority, the newspaper reported.
Samsung Heavy Industries, one of South Korea’s major shipbuilders, announced a strategic partnership in August 2025 with Oregon-based Vigor Marine Group. The deal is aimed at expanding maintenance and repair capacity for U.S. Navy and Military Sealift Command ships in the Indo-Pacific. The companies also said they may explore opportunities in U.S. shipbuilding.
Steel, a Republican who served two terms in the U.S. House, was confirmed by the Senate in June on a 55-39 vote. The ambassador’s post in Seoul had been vacant since Philip Goldberg left in January 2025.
