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U.S. foreign policy has long reflected what is sometimes seen as a tension between idealism and values such as human rights, on the one hand, and a more pragmatic, “realist” approach, on the other. Diplomats abroad have the challenge of implementing this foreign policy—of representing and explaining the United States to foreign audiences, as well as helping Washington understand foreign attitudes. Olivia Truesdale interviewed Kathleen Stephens (Korea Economic Institute of America), who served as the U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Korea (ROK) from 2008 to 2011, to better understand the general role of U.S. embassies in human rights policy and the specific impact on the U.S.-ROK relationship.