President Lee to receive credentials from new US Ambassador Steel on Wednesday

President Lee Jae Myung will receive credentials from newly appointed US Ambassador to South Korea Michelle Steel at Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday.

Steel will meet the president about 13 days after arriving in South Korea on July 30. As Lee has customarily held informal talks with ambassadors following credential ceremonies, he is expected to reaffirm the importance of the South Korea-US alliance with Steel at the meeting.

The two countries are currently holding working-level consultations on security and trade issues — including the construction of nuclear-powered submarines, nuclear energy cooperation and investment in the United States — to implement the joint fact sheet agreed upon at last year's summit. Steel is expected to serve as a key channel for coordinating positions between the two governments on these matters going forward.

Earlier this month, Steel submitted a copy of her credentials to the chief of protocol at the Foreign Ministry on Aug. 4, then held meetings with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac.

Steel is the second Korean American ambassador to South Korea, following former Ambassador Sung Kim. Since arriving in the country, she has emphasized her ties to Korea, sharing updates on social media about visits to Yeongnak Church and Namdaemun Market in Seoul.

On Monday, she visited Seoul National Cemetery alongside US Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson to lay a wreath. Steel wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that she was "honored to join General Brunson at the National Cemetery to pay tribute to the dedication and sacrifice of the veterans of the Korean War," adding that "their noble sacrifice lies at the heart of the enduring Korea-US alliance."