U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Michelle Park Steel said Wednesday that she was back from Tokyo after attending a gathering of American ambassadors from across the Indo-Pacific.
In a post on X, Steel said she joined fellow U.S. ambassadors for the Indo-Pacific Ambassadorial Summit, hosted by U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass.
“It was a valuable opportunity to exchange perspectives, strengthen our partnerships, and coordinate efforts to advance” President Donald Trump’s vision for “a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Steel wrote.
“Proud to represent the Alliance in these productive discussions!” she added.
The post did not say when the summit was held, how many ambassadors took part or what was discussed. It did not mention any agreements or outcomes.
Steel, a former two-term Republican congresswoman from California, was confirmed by the Senate in June. She arrived in Seoul in August, ending a vacancy of about a year and a half after Philip Goldberg left the post in January 2025. She is the second Korean American to serve as U.S. ambassador to South Korea. Steel was born in Seoul in 1955 to parents who were Korean War refugees from North Korea.
She took up the post amid several pending issues between the allies, including tensions over South Korea’s regulatory action against U.S.-listed Coupang, Seoul’s investment pledges in the U.S. and the South’s push to build nuclear-powered submarines.
