(ATTN: ADDS photo, foreign ministry spokesperson's comments in last para)

SEOUL, Aug. 4 (Yonhap) -- Michelle Park Steel, the new U.S. ambassador to South Korea, met with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Tuesday, as she began her official duties by submitting a copy of her credentials.

Steel visited Seoul's foreign ministry to hand the copy to the ministry's chief of protocol before paying a courtesy call on Minister Cho, according to officials.

Under diplomatic protocol, newly arrived ambassadors assume their posts upon submitting a copy of their letters of credence to the foreign ministry, which serves as a preliminary step before the formal presentation ceremony with the head of state.

Accompanied by her husband, Shawn Steel, she did not respond to reporters' questions before entering the ministry building.

The foreign ministry said Cho and Steel would discuss measures to strengthen bilateral relations.

Steel landed in South Korea on Thursday, becoming the second Korean American ambassador to serve as U.S. ambassador to the country.

Her arrival ended an 18-month vacancy in the post, following the departure of former Ambassador Philip Goldberg, who served from July 2022 to January 2025.

The new U.S. ambassador took up the role at a pivotal moment for Seoul-Washington relations, with several issues pending, 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.

"The ambassador is expected to draw on her understanding of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and bilateral relations to help strengthen ties and friendship between the two countries," Park Doo-soon, the ministry's spokesperson, said in a regular briefing.

jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr

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