Former Rep. Michelle Steel picked as Trump's ambassador to South Korea

Kaitlyn Schallhorn, The Orange County Register on Apr 13, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

President Donald Trump has nominated former Rep. Michelle Steel of California to serve as ambassador to South Korea.

Steel, a Republican who represented an Orange County congressional district for two terms, was on a list of nominations and appointments the White House announced Monday that was sent to the U.S. Senate.

“Michelle Steel, of California, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Korea,” the presidential action said.

Nominations to become an ambassador are made by the president and must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate in order to assume the role.

“Congresswoman Michelle Steel is a proud American patriot who has served her county, state and country for decades,” said Will O’Neill, chair of the Orange County Republican Party.

“Now she has the opportunity to serve as our nation’s representative in the nation where she was born,” O’Neill said. “On behalf of the Republicans throughout Orange County, we applaud this nomination from President Trump and encourage the U.S. Senate to move swiftly to confirm Rep. Steel.”

After losing her reelection bid in California’s 45th Congressional District in 2024 by about 650 votes, Steel ruled out another congressional campaign last year. She said then that she wanted to “pursue other goals” and help advance Trump’s agenda outside of Congress, particularly when it comes to “fighting for Asian countries for their freedom against China.”

Steel, a former Orange County supervisor, was born in South Korea to parents who fled North Korea and was raised in Japan. In Congress, she served on a commission that opposed human rights violations in China and sponsored legislation in support of Taiwanese democracy as well as an effort to restrict federal funding from colleges affiliated with China.

She made history when she was first elected to Congress in 2020. Then, she — along with Rep. Young Kim, a Republican who represents communities in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, and Rep. Marilyn Strickland, a Democrat who represents a district in Washington — was one of the first Korean American women elected to Congress.

_____