SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - The new U.S. ambassador to South Korea met senior executives from American companies operating in the country on Thursday, her first group engagement with the U.S. business community since taking up her post three weeks ago.
The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea hosted Michelle Steel for a breakfast roundtable at its office in Yeouido, Seoul. The chamber, founded in 1953, says it represents more than 800 member companies and affiliates, making it the largest foreign business organization in South Korea.
The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) kept the session small and did not release the names of the executives who attended. It said the group covered opportunities and challenges facing American companies here, and how continued contact between the embassy and the chamber could strengthen bilateral trade and investment.
"We are delighted to welcome Ambassador Steel for her first official meeting with the U.S. business community in Korea," said AMCHAM chairman and chief executive James Kim.
Kim said he had known Steel for years and had already met her at the U.S. Embassy during her first week in Seoul. Her early contact with business leaders, he said, "sends a clear and encouraging message about the importance of American companies to the U.S.-Korea economic partnership."
AMCHAM said Steel used the meeting to stress the part American companies play in the economic relationship between the two countries, and told the executives she would work with the chamber to address the difficulties they face and improve the environment they operate in. The chamber did not quote her directly.
The two sides also discussed cooperating on Freedom 250, a program marking the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. AMCHAM held its annual Doing Business in Korea seminar in April as a Freedom 250 edition.
Steel arrived in Seoul on July 30, filling a post that had been vacant since Philip Goldberg left in January 2025. President Donald Trump nominated her in April and the Senate confirmed her on June 17.
Born in Seoul in 1955, Steel moved to the United States in 1975 and served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives representing California from 2021 to 2025. She is the second Korean American to serve as ambassador to South Korea, after Sung Kim, who held the post from 2011 to 2014.
She submitted a copy of her credentials to Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Aug. 4 and presented them to President Lee Jae Myung at the Blue House on Aug. 12.
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