Michelle Park Steel, a former U.S. Representative (R-California) nominated as the first ambassador to South Korea under Donald Trump's second term, is known as a staunch anti-communist.

On October 26, 2024, then-presidential candidate Trump introduced Park, then a member of the House, through a Truth Social statement supporting her re-election, stating she is a "Patriot who puts America First, bravely fleeing communism with her family." He added, "Michelle will bring that fighting spirit to Congress and will never back down from communists, Marxists, socialists, and the radical left."

President Trump's nomination is also considered to be the selection of an optimal candidate to counter China on the Korean Peninsula while simultaneously preparing for engagement with North Korea.

Ham Chan-young, a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, told News & Post, "Trump sees Michelle as a politically strong and reliable special envoy and diplomatic foothold operating in the capital of a major ally." He added, "Trump views her as a trusted team member in alliance relations and competition with China (she holds a very adversarial stance towards the Chinese Communist Party)."

He analyzed, "In essence, Trump has chosen someone who is politically loyal, has ties to or Korean heritage and language skills, and with whom communication is smooth." He concluded, "This is Trump's symbolic and strategic choice and objective."

Lt. Col. Ham specifically pointed out, "Michelle has opposed the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and served on the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party." He also commented, "Trump may leverage her to manage South Korea's entanglement with China."

Furthermore, Lt. Col. Ham added, "We need a capable female Korean-American ambassador who can engage in dialogue with Kim Jong Un and his daughter."

This indicates a choice of a nominee with a strong ideology, yet capable of soft diplomacy.

However, unlike other MAGA politicians, Park has shown mixed stances on election integrity issues and COVID-19 vaccines.

Despite strongly opposing mask mandates, she has taken a positive stance on vaccine distribution. According to Yonhap News Agency, in June 2021, she urged the State Department to expand COVID-19 vaccine supplies to South Korea, stating, "The U.S. administration must take concrete steps to prevent the Chinese Communist Party from exerting influence on vaccine distribution to countries that cannot develop or acquire vaccines on their own."

She has also appeared to avoid or refrain from acknowledging election fraud.

During the joint session of Congress on January 6, 2021, when electoral votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania were challenged, she abstained from voting ('Not Voting'). At the time, Representative Young Kim (R-California) abstained on Arizona's votes and voted against Pennsylvania's, while most Republican representatives voted in favor.

Indeed, despite experiencing a questionable defeat in the 2024 election, she conceded without even demanding a recount.

In the 2024 election, Park, who ran against Democratic candidate Derek Tran, led on election night and in the early vote count. With 66% of the ballots counted the day after the election, Park was ahead of Tran by over 10,000 votes (123,361 to 113,225).

However, by Friday, three days after the election, with 93% of the votes counted, Park's lead had narrowed to just 236 votes (152,021 to 151,785). As more mail-in ballots arrived late, she ultimately lost by 613 votes approximately three weeks after the vote count began.

She effectively experienced a typical election fraud where the outcome was overturned by early mail-in voting, despite a significant lead in the main election.

Although the Associated Press reported it as one of the closest races nationwide at the time, Park accepted the results without demanding a recount.

It is reported that two individuals competed before President Trump announced the final appointment. Both are understood to be Asian women. Reuters reported that both candidates competed with a narrative that their opponent was linked to China.

In South Korea, voices have long been raised to prevent Park from taking office as ambassador.

On July 17, 2025 (KST), during the confirmation hearing for nominee for Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun at the National Assembly, Representative Kim Joon-hyung of the Jo Guk Party cited five individuals as harmful to South Korea, including Park.

At the time, Rep. Kim pointed to "Annie Chan, founder of KCPAC; Mos-tan, former Ambassador for International Criminal Justice; Michelle Steel, former Federal Representative; Young Kim, Federal Representative; and Gordon Chang, anti-communist and anti-North Korea theorist," and stated, "If any of these individuals were to be appointed as the U.S. Ambassador to Korea, before reaching the point of diplomatic confrontation where we would not grant agrément, is it not the case that people who deny South Korea's elections and the legitimacy of President Lee Jae-myung's government cannot serve as U.S. Ambassador to Korea, through public opinion?"

Rep. Kim emphasized, "They fundamentally deny the legitimacy of the current South Korean government and the South Korean election constitution," displaying their statements on screen. Park's statement quoted was: "The threat of Chinese Communist Party espionage rampant and increasing on American university campuses."

Rep. Kim urged nominee Cho Hyun to "hasten preparations" given the possibility of one of the five individuals being appointed as the U.S. Ambassador to Korea.

Park was born in Seoul in 1955, though her father was reportedly born in Shanghai. She attended middle and high school in Japan following her diplomat father. After completing her first year at Japan Women's University, she moved to the United States in 1975 and graduated from Pepperdine University in California. She is fluent in Korean, Japanese, and English.

Her husband, lawyer Sean Steel, whom she married in 1981, served as Chairman of the California Republican Party and was a member of the Republican National Committee. He is also known to have directly participated in the Trump presidential campaign in 2024.

She began her public service career in 2006 when she was elected to the Board of Equalization with her husband's support. At the time, it was notable that three out of the four seats on the California State Board of Equalization were filled by Asian women. In 2014, she was elected to the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

In March 2018, she was the only elected official to personally greet President Trump at the airport during his first official visit to California. In 2019, President Trump appointed her as a member of the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

In 2020, she ran for California's 48th Congressional District and won with 51.1% of the vote, defeating the incumbent Democrat. That year, it was a significant achievement that three Korean women, including Young Kim and Marilyn Strickland, entered the House of Representatives, drawing considerable attention.

In 2022, due to redistricting, she ran in California's 45th Congressional District and was re-elected after defeating Taiwanese-American Democratic candidate Jay Chen.

By Sung Ku Hong, Chief Reporter, NNP USA / Special Correspondent, NNP info@newsandpost.com