August 25, 2025
SEOUL – South Korean President Lee Jae Myung flew to Washington on Sunday to meet US President Donald Trump in a summit expected to address tariffs, troop deployments, North Korea and nuclear cooperation while charting the future of the decadesold alliance.
In his first summit with Trump since taking office two months ago — scheduled for Monday — the South Korean leader is expected to focus on contentious trade issues, including cooperation in shipping, semiconductors, nuclear reactors and batteries. Officials say the meeting could also provide a broader glimpse into the future of the bilateral alliance.
“The agenda for the Lee-Trump summit will cover stabilizing bilateral trade, modernizing the alliance and exploring new avenues of cooperation,” Lee’s National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac told reporters in Tokyo on Sunday, adding that discussions are ongoing.
This will likely be a follow-up to the trade deal reached between Seoul and Washington in late July, under which tariffs on South Korean goods, including cars, were lowered from 25 percent to 15 percent, while South Korea pledged to invest $350 billion in US projects selected by Trump and to purchase $100 billion worth of liquefied natural gas.
In the days leading up to the summit, Lee’s foreign and trade ministers rushed to Washington, raising speculation about potential challenges ahead of the in-person talks.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun arrived in Washington on Thursday, followed by Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan on Friday. Cho and Kim held talks with their respective counterparts, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo arrived in Washington on Wednesday and met with his counterpart, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Observers also suggest the summit could advance revisions to the US-South Korea Agreement for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation, commonly known as the 123 Agreement, which currently restricts South Korea’s enrichment of uranium and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. The agreement, last revised in 2015, remains effective until 2035. Wi noted Friday that a revision “could be seen as an agenda” for the summit, reflecting South Korea’s longstanding demand for improvements.
Meanwhile, Wi confirmed that discussions over the transfer of wartime operational control will not take place at the summit, though an easing of sanctions on North Korea could be addressed.
The Lee-Trump summit comes after Lee attended a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Saturday, which revolved around ways to brace for the unpredictability of Trump’s diplomacy, according to the presidential office.
Lee and Ishiba “engaged in strategic communication ahead of Lee’s visit to the US,” Wi said Sunday. “In a small-group meeting, (the two leaders) spent a considerable amount of time discussing (their) relationship with the United States and tariff negotiations.”
“Most of the discussions were about US tariffs, as Japan shared with us what it experienced,” he added, apparently referring to Ishiba’s meeting with Trump at the White House in February.
The Lee-Ishiba talks align with Washington’s push for three-way cooperation with Seoul and Tokyo to counter regional instability, Wi said, adding that Seoul has strengthened three-way cooperation between Seoul, Tokyo and Washington.
“We’ve experienced occasions when the US had to lead the way for trilateral cooperation because the relationship between South Korea and Japan had soured. This time, South Korea and Japan lead the trilateral ties,” Wi said.
“The US will welcome this move, as we are flying to the US for talks while trying to advance a positive relationship with Japan,” added Wi.
In an unusual move, Lee’s top aide Kang Hoon-sik will also be in Washington. The presidential chief of staff — who oversees domestic affairs in the presidential office — typically stays in Seoul when the president is overseas. Kang, however, did not elaborate on the purpose of his visit to Washington.
Lee is scheduled to meet with overseas Koreans upon his arrival, according to deputy presidential spokesperson Jeon Eun-su on Sunday.
After his summit with Trump on Monday, Lee is poised to hold a roundtable with business leaders, deliver a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and hold a dinner with opinion leaders in the US. On Tuesday, Lee will visit the Philip Jaisohn Memorial House in honor of the independence fighter, who is also known as Seo Jae-pil, and stop by the Hanwha Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia before returning to Seoul.
consnow@heraldcorp.com
