[Edaily Kim Sang-yoon, Reporter Hwang Byung-seo] On the 12th, President Lee Jae-myung held his first official meeting with Michelle Steel, the new U.S. Ambassador to South Korea nominated by U.S. President Donald Trump. Amid a pileup of sensitive issues—including U.S. concerns over “discriminatory regulations” targeting Coupang and the implementation of a $350 billion investment plan in the U.S.—President Lee emphasized the need to resolve these issues through “reasonable and proactive dialogue and cooperation.”

That morning at the Blue House main building, President Lee received letters of credence from Ambassador Steel and three other newly appointed resident ambassadors to South Korea, and held separate talks with each of them.
President Lee told Ambassador Steel that, given her deep understanding of Korean culture and society, he “expects her to serve as a reliable bridge in further strengthening and developing the ROK-U.S. alliance.”
In particular, he emphasized, “We will be able to smoothly resolve various pending issues between our two countries through a process of rational and proactive dialogue and cooperation,” adding, “Through this, bilateral relations will be further elevated.”
The Office of the President did not disclose whether Coupang or the $350 billion investment plan in the U.S. were specifically mentioned during the meeting. However, given that Ambassador Steel had identified the implementation of South Korea’s investments in the U.S. and U.S. companies’ access to the South Korean market as key priorities even before taking office, attention is focused on the outcome of the “various pending issues” mentioned by President Lee.
Ambassador Steel is a conservative politician of Korean descent who was personally handpicked by President Trump. Born in Seoul, he moved to the United States, entered local politics in California, and served two terms as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives. During the 2024 general election, Trump publicly endorsed Steel, declaring his “complete and total endorsement.” Even after Ambassador Steel lost to Democratic candidate Derek Tran and left Congress, their political ties continued. Last April, following his return to office, President Trump nominated Steel to serve as U.S. Ambassador to South Korea.
Ambassador Steel has also made it clear that he intends to faithfully carry out the Trump administration’s policy toward South Korea. In particular, in the areas of economy and trade, he has made quite specific demands of South Korea.
The top priority is the $350 billion investment in the U.S. that South Korea has pledged. During his confirmation hearing, Steel pointed out that the details of South Korea’s investment pledge were unclear, and he stated that he would meet with South Korean government and trade officials to “see exactly where that money is coming from.” This indicates that, as Ambassador to South Korea, he intends to personally oversee the investment’s funding sources and implementation structure. He also expressed his intention to share information regarding the source and destination of the investment funds with the U.S. Congress.
South Korea’s trade surplus with the U.S. and the expansion of U.S. exports to South Korea are also key agenda items. During the hearing, Ambassador Steel emphasized that free trade must benefit both sides and stated that he would seek ways for the U.S. to increase its exports to South Korea. This reflects the Trump administration’s trade policy of turning South Korea’s investment pledge into actual investment while simultaneously lowering the barriers for U.S. companies and products to enter the South Korean market.
He was particularly clear regarding U.S. companies’ access to the South Korean market. In his written testimony for the confirmation hearing, Steel emphasized, “U.S. companies operating in South Korea deserve the same market access that South Korean companies enjoy in the United States.” He also cited South Korea’s commitment to invest $350 billion in U.S. strategic industries and to lower barriers to U.S. exports as major achievements.
These remarks are also linked to the Coupang issue, which has recently emerged as a sensitive trade concern between South Korea and the U.S. In an interim report released last month, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee alleged that the South Korean government had treated Coupang, which is headquartered in the U.S., in a discriminatory manner. The South Korean government strongly denies this. Woo Sung-rak, Director of the National Security Office, has also stated that the measures taken against Coupang were a lawful enforcement of domestic law in response to a large-scale personal data breach and do not constitute discrimination against U.S. companies.
The Presidential Office has also dismissed observations that the Coupang issue is obstructing South Korea-U.S. trade and security negotiations. However, Director Wi did state last month that, among the pending issues between the two countries, the matter of investment in the U.S. is the most significant.
The key question will be whether Ambassador Steel will focus on pressuring South Korea by emphasizing the Trump administration’s future trade policy, or whether he will place greater emphasis on serving as a “bridge” to reconcile differences between the two countries based on his understanding of South Korean culture and society. In particular, the $350 billion investment in the U.S. and the issue of market access for U.S. companies are matters that Steel had publicly pledged to personally oversee even before taking office.
However, during their first meeting that day, “bridging” and “dialogue” took precedence over “pressure.” Ambassador Steel said, “I am very pleased to have been assigned to South Korea,” adding that he would strive to enhance mutual understanding and friendly cooperation between South Korea and the U.S. through broad communication with the South Korean government and people.

Meanwhile, in addition to Ambassador Steel, President Lee received letters of credence that day from Maria Dias Stelzer Sequeira, the Portuguese Ambassador to South Korea; Jamal Abdullah Mohammed bin Abdulwahab Al Suwaidi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ambassador to South Korea; and Sean Hoy, the Irish Ambassador to South Korea.
President Lee urged the newly appointed ambassadors to play an active role as bridges in deepening mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, based on close communication and strong trust, even amid rapidly changing international circumstances.
Ambassador Sequeira stated that, marking the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Portugal, he would work to strengthen practical cooperation between the two countries. Ambassador Al Suwaidi described President Lee’s state visit to the UAE last November as a turning point for bilateral relations and pledged to work toward preparing for President Mohammed’s successful return visit. Ambassador Hoy expressed his hope that Ireland—a G20 invitee and the country holding the rotating presidency of the European Union (EU) in the second half of this year—would maintain close communication with South Korea.