U.S. Amb. Steel meets Japanese envoy, stresses continued trilateral cooperation

U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Michelle Steel met with her Japanese counterpart, Ambassador Koichi Mizushima, to emphasize the significance of ongoing trilateral cooperation among Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo, according to her social media post. On August 24, Steel shared an update on X, revealing that she engaged in a "thoughtful conversation" with Mizushima about the prospects for strengthened collaboration among the United States, South Korea, and Japan.

The ambassador's post marked her first public disclosure of meetings with other ambassadors to South Korea since assuming her role last month. In addition to her meeting with the Japanese envoy, Steel also held private discussions with Canadian Ambassador to South Korea Philippe Lafortune and Israeli Ambassador to South Korea Rafael Harpaz. She expressed pleasure in her interactions with both Lafortune and Harpaz, highlighting their discussions on shared priorities in Korea.

Steel reaffirmed her commitment to maintaining strong ties with both Canada and Israel. In a separate post, she stated that the U.S. and Canada are "remained committed to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula." Furthermore, she expressed anticipation of continuing dialogue with the Israeli ambassador on matters of mutual interest.