By Woo Jae-yeon

SEOUL, July 31 (Yonhap) -- Michelle Park Steel, the new U.S. ambassador to South Korea, on Friday called for joint efforts to write the "next chapter" in the Seoul-Washington alliance, stressing that the decadeslong partnership should remain "results oriented" and "forward leaning."

In an op-ed to Yonhap News Agency, Steel also highlighted the need for the allies to set aside their differences and map out a path forward for their "mutual benefit," as she arrived in Seoul the previous day to officially assume office.

"The United States and the Republic of Korea share one of the world's strongest alliances. Now, at this critical time, we must join together to write the next chapter in the Alliance, thereby ensuring it remains results oriented and forward leaning," she said, referring to South Korea's official name.

In the face of pressing pending alliance issues, Steel has become the first U.S. envoy to South Korea since President Donald Trump returned to office in January last year.

She described the alliance as one "forged in war and secured by the blood of those who stood shoulder-to-shoulder to defend freedom." Since then, it has been sustained, she wrote, by "unwavering trust" and a commitment "grounded in our Mutual Defense Treaty, extended nuclear deterrence, and deep economic ties."

"Under President Trump's leadership, the United States is modernizing and deepening our ironclad Alliance in unprecedented ways," she wrote.

Steel said her priority as ambassador would be to carry out the vision Trump laid out in Gyeongju last October, when he and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung held summit talks and reached a series of key agreements on trade and security.

A joint fact sheet issued after the summit outlined Seoul's bid to build nuclear-powered submarines, along with other plans for bilateral cooperation, including nuclear energy and shipbuilding.

"Together, we must rebuild and expand critical industries, address the strategic threats to the Alliance, and defend our shared democratic principles," she wrote.

Her arrival comes as Seoul and Washington are facing pending security and economic agenda, including tensions over South Korea's regulatory action against U.S.-listed Coupang over a massive data breach, Seoul's investment pledges in the U.S. and the South's push to build nuclear-powered submarines.

Steel said ahead of much work ahead, both sides "must not underestimate the challenges."

"While we have made good progress on many shared priorities, others require additional attention, frank conversations, and a willingness by both sides to cast aside our differences and chart a way forward for our mutual benefit."

Despite the challenges ahead, she voiced confidence in the alliance's future, calling it "the linchpin of peace, security and prosperity for Northeast Asia, the broader Indo-Pacific, and beyond."

The two countries' joint effort, she said, will "strengthen the foundation of our relationship for decades to come."

Steel also spoke about her Korean American roots, calling her family "a living testament to the enduring bond between our two nations." She traced her path into public service back to her mother, who ran a small garment business and was treated unfairly by a state tax agency.

"I believed then -- as I do now -- that our leaders must serve the people. Government should not harass or intimidate but rather must work for the benefit of everyone."

She said she was "deeply honored and humbled" to return to her birthplace as her country's top diplomat.

jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr

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