Describing how she was "grateful" to be standing on South Korean soil once again, Steel said the two countries' alliance has become "one of the strongest alliances" in the world.
She added that the biliteral alliance was forged during war and strengthened by the "blood of those who stood shoulder to shoulder to defend freedom."
She also said she would "look forward to working together" with South Korea to ensure that the "ironclad alliance" between the two allies remains a cornerstone of peace and security in the region.
But she did not take questions from reporters, saying only that she hoped to have "another opportunity" to speak with them soon.
Her arrival marked the end of an approximately 18-month vacancy at the top of the American mission, as she became the first envoy to fill the post since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House for his non-consecutive second term early last year.
She will be the second Korean American to serve in the role, after Sung Kim, who held it from 2011 to 2014. The post has been vacant since January last year, when Philip Goldberg, who was appointed under former U.S .President Joe Biden, left the job.
Before her appointment, Steel served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2021 to 2025.
Steel, who was born in Seoul in 1955 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1975, earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Pepperdine University and an MBA from the University of Southern California. She has two children and four grandchildren with her husband Shawn Steel.
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