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Michelle Steel

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Michelle Steel
BERJAYA
Official portrait, 2026
United States Ambassador to South Korea
Assumed office
August 4, 2026
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byPhilip S. Goldberg
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from California
In office
January 3, 2021  January 3, 2025
Preceded byHarley Rouda
Succeeded byDerek Tran
Constituency48th district (2021–2023)
45th district (2023–2025)
Chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors
In office
January 14, 2020  January 3, 2021
Preceded byLisa Bartlett
Succeeded byAndrew Do
In office
January 10, 2017  January 9, 2018
Preceded byLisa Bartlett
Succeeded byAndrew Do
Member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors
from the 2nd district
In office
January 5, 2015  January 3, 2021
Preceded byJohn Moorlach
Succeeded byKatrina Foley
Member of the California State Board of Equalization
from the 3rd district
In office
January 5, 2007  January 5, 2015
Preceded byClaude Parrish
Succeeded byDiane Harkey
Personal details
Born
Michelle Eunjoo Park

(1955-06-21) June 21, 1955 (age 71)
Seoul, South Korea
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
(m. 1981)
Children2
EducationPepperdine University (BA)
University of Southern California (MBA)
Korean name
Hangul
박은주
[1]
Hanja
朴銀珠
RRBak Eunju
MRPak Ŭnju

Michelle Eunjoo Park Steel (born June 21, 1955) is a South Korean-born American politician who has been the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea since 2026. She was the U.S. Representative for California's 48th congressional district from 2021 to 2025. She beat incumbent Democrat Harley Rouda in the 2020 election.[2] She lost her re-election to Democrat Derek Tran in 2024.

In April 2026, Steel was nominated by President Donald Trump to be the next U.S. Ambassador to South Korea.[3] Her nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate by a 55–39 vote on June 17, 2026.[4]

References

[change | change source]
  1. '영옥씨' 영 김 후보도 당선…한국계 4명 미 의회 입성 (... Four Korean-Americans Enter U.S. Congress). The Korea Times (in Korean). November 13, 2020. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  2. Rep. Harley Rouda Concedes to Republican Challenger in 48th District Congressional District Race, KNBC-TV Channel 4, Los Angeles, California, November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020. "We did not win this election, Rouda said. "And while it isn't the outcome we had hoped for, it's never been more important for our leaders to hear the voice of the people, and to accept their judgment. I do."
  3. Schallhorn, Kaitlyn (April 13, 2026). "Former Rep. Michelle Steel picked as President Trump's ambassador to South Korea". The Orange County Register. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  4. Borla, Charlie (June 17, 2026). "Former Rep. Michelle Steel confirmed as new ambassador to South Korea". Orange County Register.