The Senate confirmation of Michelle Steel, the nominee for U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, is imminent. The Senate is scheduled to vote on the confirmation resolution for nominee Steel on Wednesday, the 17th.

This news was revealed on X by Craig Caplan of C-SPAN, the congressional broadcasting channel.

Caplan stated, "Senator Thune (Senate Majority Leader) has submitted a motion for cloture on President Trump's nomination of former California Republican Representative Michelle Steel as the next U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, paving the way for a vote on Wednesday."

Former Representative Michelle Steel, officially nominated as the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea by President Donald Trump on April 13, passed her confirmation hearing at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on May 20. Subsequently, on June 4, her nomination resolution was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with 15 votes in favor and 8 against, and was placed on the Senate's executive calendar.

After a period of quiet, the nomination resolution is expected to undergo a final confirmation vote on the Senate floor within the next few days. This follows the Senate's agreement on the 15th (Monday) to proceed with a closed session to deliberate on the nominee and the subsequent submission of a cloture motion.

Upon final passage of the confirmation in the Senate plenary session, she will receive her letter of appointment from President Trump and officially assume the post of U.S. Ambassador to South Korea.

However, speculation has arisen that President Lee Jae-myung might reject the agrément, as Democratic Party lawmakers and left-wing anti-American groups, including the Candlelight Solidarity, have reportedly opposed her appointment.

Nonetheless, there are virtually no precedents for the U.S. President's officially nominated ambassador being denied agrément. Furthermore, if the South Korean government were to directly reject a formal request from the United States, it could cause significant rifts in the ROK-U.S. alliance. Therefore, the diplomatic community anticipates that the government will, in accordance with precedent, issue the agrément without issue.

There are also suggestions within diplomatic circles that the U.S. government likely sought and obtained implicit and formal consent from the South Korean government for preliminary agrément before officially announcing the ambassadorial nominee.

The diplomatic community views the fact that the internal U.S. confirmation process is reaching its final stages, with the nomination passing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a cloture motion being submitted for floor debate, as indicative of the completion of basic preliminary coordination between the governments of both countries.

NNP=Hong Seong-gu, Chief Reporter / Special Dispatch to NNP info@newsandpost.com