The US Senate has confirmed Michelle Steel, a Korean-born former Republican congresswoman, as the next American ambassador to South Korea in a 55–39 vote. The post has been vacant since January 2024, when predecessor Philip Goldberg departed, leaving a gap in formal diplomatic representation as Washington and Seoul navigate alliance modernisation and bilateral trade and security arrangements. Steel, who served two terms in the House of Representatives before narrowly losing her seat in 2024, will become only the second Korean American to hold the ambassadorial role in Seoul.