Just hours before a key summit on Monday with South Korea’s new President, Lee Jae Myung, U.S. President Donald Trump criticized South Korea, highlighting tensions over defense spending and trade that strain the long-standing alliance between the two nations.
As they prepared for their first summit, Trump took to social media, alleging without evidence that there was a “Purge or Revolution” in South Korea, warning that “We can’t have that and do business there.”
These comments cast a shadow over the high-stakes talks for Lee, who assumed office in June after a snap election prompted by the ousting of his conservative predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, following an attempt to impose martial law in December.
South Korea’s economy heavily depends on the U.S. for security, with American troops and nuclear deterrence as a backbone. Lee aims for cooperation with the U.S. while maintaining strong ties with China, South Korea’s top trade partner.
Trump’s complaints seemed to resonate with South Korea’s far-right factions, including evangelical Christians and supporters of Yoon, currently facing charges of inciting an insurrection.
These supporters view Yoon as a victim of communist persecution and have made unverified claims of election fraud in the vote that brought Lee to power in June.
South Korea’s presidential office is investigating the matter, while the White House has yet to comment on Trump’s remarks.
Trump has previously criticized South Korea, calling it a “money machine” that exploits American military protection.
“This incident underscores Trump’s unreliability and unpredictability as an ally,” stated Mason Richey, a professor at Seoul’s Hankuk University.
Complex Negotiations
The two countries are involved in complex discussions on trade, nuclear energy, and military expenditures. Top officials, including South Korea’s foreign minister, hurried to Washington over the weekend to finalize details.
According to a White House official, Trump planned to discuss “North Korea, defense posture, trade barriers, maritime security, American shipbuilding, energy dominance, and more.”
Lee’s strategy for the meeting focuses on avoiding contentious issues, making a positive impression, building rapport with Trump, and steering clear of unexpected challenges.
In preparation, Lee read “Trump: The Art of the Deal,” the President’s 1987 memoir, during his flight to Washington. Under pressure from Trump’s administration, South Korea recently negotiated a last-minute deal to evade hefty new U.S. tariffs, though they still need to finalize billions of dollars in U.S. investment commitments.
“There are significant topics in the area of security,” said Lee’s chief policy aide, Kim Yong-beom, last week. “We believe trade discussions were concluded previously. We hope trade implementation details won’t be included in the summit, or if needed, kept straightforward.”
After arriving in Washington on Sunday, Lee plans to emphasize South Korea’s anticipated investments by visiting a Philadelphia shipyard owned by Hanwha Group post-summit. This cooperation forms part of the comprehensive tariff agreement between the nations.
Engaging North Korea
Trump is expected to urge Lee to increase defense spending, including potentially billions more for the support of 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea.
Wi Sung-lac, Lee’s top security adviser, mentioned that South Korea is negotiating with Washington on defense spending, referencing NATO’s new defense spending target. Wi also noted discussions on purchasing American weapons.
While focusing on boosting military spending, Lee aims to avoid talks on reducing U.S. troop numbers or expanding their operational scope, or details on modernizing the alliance, according to Duyeon Kim from the Center for a New American Security.
Lee communicated to reporters the difficulty Seoul faces in accepting U.S. demands for “flexibility” in utilizing U.S. military forces in South Korea. The term implies allowing U.S. troops to address broader regional security concerns, such as China, beyond North Korea.
“These topics should be left to working-level officials,” Kim advised. “Overambition could backfire.” Before his U.S. visit, Lee dispatched a special delegation to Beijing to convey a message seeking normalized relations with China, strained in recent years.
Trump and Lee may also address strategies to persuade North Korea to freeze and ultimately dismantle its nuclear weapons program. Both leaders support engaging Pyongyang, with Lee advocating for a phased denuclearization approach. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un maintains that South Korea and the U.S. remain adversarial, vowing never to relinquish his nuclear arsenal. Over the weekend, Kim oversaw the testing of new air defense systems. Prior to meeting Trump, Lee visited Tokyo to confer with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, enhancing collaboration between South Korea, Japan, and the U.S.
North Korean state media criticized Lee’s “contemptible” Tokyo visit as a “plea to the White House master,” emphasizing trilateral military cooperation.
