Michelle Park Steel, the new U.S. ambassador to Korea, met with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Tuesday, as she began her official duties by submitting a copy of her credentials. Steel visited Seoul's foreign ministry to hand the copy to the ministry's chief of protocol before paying a courtesy call on Minister Cho, according to officials. Under diplomatic protocol, newly arrived ambassadors assume their posts upon submitting a copy of their letters of credence to the foreign ministry, which serves as a preliminary step before the formal presentation ceremony with the head of state. Accompanied by her husband, Shawn Steel, she did not respond to reporters' questions before entering the ministry building. The foreign ministry said Cho and Steel would discuss measures to strengthen bilateral relations. Steel landed in Korea on Thursday, becoming the second Korean American ambassador to serve as U.S. ambassador to the country. Her arrival ended an 18-month vacancy in the post, following the departure of former Ambassador Philip Goldberg, who served from July 2022 to January 2025. The new U.S. amb