Ex-Rep. Michelle Steel becomes 1st Korean American woman US ambassador to Seoul

In a joint statement, the Senate’s only three Asian American members accused Steel of “a disturbing history of using racially-based attacks and tropes.”

Image via Michelle Steel

The Senate confirmed former Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.) as the next U.S. ambassador to South Korea on June 17, putting a Korean American woman in the post for the first time.

How it happened

President Donald Trump nominated Steel, 70, in April to fill the ambassadorship, which had stood vacant since Philip Goldberg retired from …