Park is being sent by Washington to empower Yoon’s insurrectionists and risk turning Korea into “another Ukraine.” It looks like Yoon is back—this time wearing the title of U.S. Ambassador.
According to historian Bruce Cumings, “U.S. containment strategy rests on two main pillars: containing enemies and pressuring allies.
At its core, the essence of U.S. containment policy is that even after a conflict ends, U.S. troops and military bases do not return home. The installations established in Japan and Germany in 1945, and in South Korea in 1953, remain in place to this day.”
For now, let’s set aside U.S. policy toward North Korea, which consists primarily of sanctions and threats—classic “containment.” But what about the U.S. “ally,” South Korea?
Following Cumings’s view, the policy is simple: pressure, pressure, and more pressure. This perspective is arguably more accurate and realistic than the mythical notion many Koreans and Americans hold regarding the U.S.–Korea “alliance.” From Washington’s perspective, it seems, the more pressure, the better.
A case in point is Trump’s latest nominee for U.S. Ambassador to South Korea.
The “Mini-Me” Nominee
President Donald Trump has nominated Michelle Steel, a former California congresswoman and outspoken advocate for North Korean human rights, to serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to Seoul.
According to a recent op-ed in The Washington Post, President Trump tends to appoint “mini-Trumps” as ambassadors—figures who closely mirror his worldview and demonstrate fierce personal loyalty. In that sense, Michelle Park Steel fits the “mini-me” mold perfectly.
The problem lies in how Steel is being packaged. She is presented as the first Korean American woman to hold the post—a daughter of parents who fled North Korean communism and a proud American patriot fighting for freedom.
A Disconnect in Identity
Personally, as a Korean, I find nothing to identify with in her. While she is ethnically Korean American, she was raised in Japan and appears quite removed from the historical experiences, cultural roots, and political sentiments of the Korean people.
Though she looks Korean, her orientation is that of a “mini-Trump,” packaged in a style reminiscent of Yoon Suk-yeol—the executor of illegal martial law and recently impeached former president. Her political alignment mirrors South Korea’s far-right People Power Party and the “Taegeukgi-aligned” movements.
Consider the following associations:
- Campaign Financing: Deep ties to strong pro-Israel lobbying networks.
- Foreign Policy: Hardline anti-North Korea and anti-China positions.
- Domestic Alignment: Vocal support for the disgraced former President Yoon.
It is striking that a Korean American could be so out of touch with the realities, interests, and sentiments of the Korean people. In essence, she is being sent by Washington to empower Yoon’s insurrectionists and risk turning Korea into “another Ukraine.” To many observers, it looks like Yoon is back—this time wearing the title of U.S. Ambassador.
The Silver Lining?
There is, perhaps, one possibility for an “excellent” outcome. Given her absolute loyalty to Trump, if the President were ever to make a historic decision to pursue a peace treaty with North Korea (a slim 0.1% chance, perhaps), she would likely follow his lead without hesitation.
However, regardless of who is appointed, the Republic of Korea—strengthened by the “Revolution of Light” and the leadership of Lee Jae Myung—will have no problem handling her and defending Korea’s sovereignty.
As Madam Steel prepares to come to Seoul to apply “pressure,” one can only hope she views this as an opportunity to actually learn about and educate herself on the true state of Korea.
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