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Park Chan-kyong

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung emerged heavily burdened with an unexpected challenge from his high-stakes first meeting with US President Donald Trump, whose penchant for expansionism and unconventional diplomacy has kept allies on edge, analysts say.
Lee’s spokeswoman, Kang Yu-jung, sought to frame the summit positively, describing it as a “rapport-building” get-together and declaring: “The summit went so well that there was no need for a joint statement.”
Yet the absence of a statement underscored the wide gulf between the two allies on thorny issues – notably, the role of the 28,500 US troops stationed in South Korea.
True to his taste for upending conventional diplomacy, Trump publicly criticised the procedures surrounding Lee’s rise to power just two hours before the meeting. Lee became president in a snap election in June, triggered by the failed December 3 martial law imposition by his predecessor, conservative president Yoon Suk-yeol.
“WHAT IS GOING ON IN SOUTH KOREA? Seems like a Purge or Revolution,” Trump wrote on social media on Monday morning. “We can’t have that and do business there. I am seeing the new President today at the White House. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!”

The post appeared to reference ongoing special counsel investigations into Yoon, who has been detained over his martial law bid in December.
Despite the jarring timing, reminiscent of Trump’s earlier ambushes against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa before their meetings, Lee managed to handle the moment with composure.
During the summit, he explained that South Korea was still recovering from an attempted “self-coup” by Yoon and that special investigations commissioned by the National Assembly were ongoing. Lee said these raids were part of efforts to get to the bottom of the “insurrection”.
Trump later elaborated that he posted the message after hearing about recent raids by South Korean investigators on churches and a military base. “I am sure it’s a misunderstanding, but there’s a rumour going around about raiding churches,” he said. “We will talk. I am sure that’s going to be worked out fine.”
Cho Han-bum, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, noted that the surprise social post could have “thrown a wrench” into the summit if Trump had not allowed two hours for Seoul to prepare Lee’s response. Ultimately, the post proved to be a minor ripple ahead of more consequential matters.
‘Give us ownership’
Trump, however, sprang another surprise on Lee during the talks. With regard to US troops stationed in South Korea, Trump suggested that Seoul grant Washington “ownership” of land it was leasing for US military bases.
“Maybe one of the things I’d like to do is ask them to give us ownership of the land where we have the big fort,” he said, noting that the US had invested heavily in building it. Though he acknowledged that South Korea had made contributions, “I would like to see if we could get rid of the lease and get ownership of the land where we have a massive military base.”
He raised this issue when asked whether his administration would reduce US Forces Korea troop numbers.
Trump’s remarks came a day after Lee told South Korean journalists that while Washington was pressing for “strategic flexibility” of US Forces Korea to counter threats beyond the peninsula, Seoul found it “difficult to readily agree”.


Analysts noted the comments reflected Trump’s pattern of expansionist thinking, as he has also expressed interest in acquiring or taking control of Greenland, the Panama Canal, Canada and Gaza. South Korea leases land for US troops under the Status of Forces Agreement, a mutually agreed legal framework governing US forces’ status.
Washington is also pressing Seoul to play a larger role in addressing its main strategic competitor, China.
“President Trump is in effect pressing Seoul to make its pick: join us in containing China or give us part of your territory,” Doo Jin-ho of the Korea Research Institute for National Security, told This Week in Asia. “After the summit, follow-up high-level talks are likely to be dogged by this thorny issue, which has emerged as a new source of concern for Seoul.”
On the positive side, however, the new US demand has given South Korea a potential lever in future negotiations by confirming its strategic importance in countering a rising China.
“Through this call for a territorial concession in breach of sovereignty, the US has revealed its intention to maintain its bases in the South, no matter what comes as a result of alliance modernisation and changes to the roles of [US Forces Korea],” he said. “This confirms South Korea’s strategic importance as a forward base for the United States to project power and counter China.”
Cho said Lee “successfully fastened the first button” by keeping summit diplomacy on track and overcoming the awkwardness of the Zelensky and Ramaphosa talks. “However, I am afraid the devil is in the details, as rough sailing is expected in follow-up talks” on issues such as alliance modernisation, defence cost-sharing, and tariff negotiations.
Zack Cooper, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said the meeting avoided a “Zelensky moment” but did not achieve much beyond that. “President Trump’s online criticism before the meeting was understandably worrisome for Korean officials, but the tone at the White House was generally positive,” he said.
Yet it was notable that there were “no major deliverables announced”, including on the trade deal that South Korea and the United States had been negotiating, he said. “Overall, I would say that the two sides avoided any major breakdown in the relationship, but it is hard to argue that they accomplished more beyond that.”

Leif-Eric Easley, an international studies professor at Ewha Womans University, said Lee’s visit went “better than expected”, noting that countries that emerged from talks with lower tariffs and trade deals were presumably doing so to avoid worse outcomes and prolonged uncertainty.
“It’s not clear whether [Trump’s] ‘madman diplomacy’ can extract concessions from Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-un or Xi Jinping. But it is clear that a lack of message discipline can make a visit to the White House stressful and even perilous for US allies,” he said.
Easley said Lee took away some positives from the Oval Office.
Trump strongly endorsed shipbuilding and energy cooperation while showing little interest in reducing US forces in South Korea. He also expressed willingness to engage with North Korean leader Kim and “notably mentioned” support for Lee’s outreach towards North Korea, Easley said.
The US president responded favourably to attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in South Korea in late October and early November and suggested a trade deal with China could be sealed in a meeting with Xi.
In addition, he approved of Lee’s stopover in Tokyo en route to Washington, agreeing that trilateral cooperation with Japan was essential and should not be impeded by historical disputes in Asia.


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South Korea

After Trump talks, South Korea’s Lee has new burden: US wants military base land

US President Donald Trump (left) welcomes South Korean President Lee Jae-myung to the White House on Monday. Photo: Xinhua

Lee (right) signs the guest book as Trump looks on at the White House on Monday. Photo: EPA/Yonhap

Military chiefs from (from left) the US, South Korea and Japan join hands during the Trilateral Chiefs of Defence meeting in Seoul on July 11. Photo: AFP

Trump-Lee summit: what can a ‘turtle ship’ do for the US-South Korea alliance?

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung (left) and US President Donald Trump. Photo: AFP

A shipyard in Geoje, South Korea. Seoul is expected to tout its shipbuilding expertise as a bargaining chip with Trump. Photo: NurPhoto/Getty Images

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects naval officers during an inspection of a new warship on Monday. Photo: Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service/AP

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung holds a meeting with heads of major business conglomerates at the presidential office in Seoul on Tuesday. Photo: Yonhap/EPA

South Korea, Japan aim to show solidarity amid conflicting US signals at Tokyo summit

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (left) and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung shake hands ahead of a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit on June 17. Photo: Kyodo/AP

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung (front, centre) waves the national flag during a ceremony celebrating the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule in Seoul on Friday. Photo: EPA

South Korea revives inter-Korean pacts despite North’s hostility

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung speaks in Seoul on Friday. He told his cabinet on Monday that the country should have “the courage” to ease tensions with the North. Photo: EPA

Apache attack helicopters in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on Monday as the 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise began. Photo: dpa

Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has dismissed Seoul’s outreach towards Pyongyang as “a pipe dream”.  Photo: AP

‘Shrimp among whales’: South Korea faces a US vs China dilemma

South Korean protesters tear a banner showing a caricature of US President Donald Trump as a robber during a rally in Seoul against Washington’s tariff policy on July 27. Photo: AFP

The national flags of South Korea and China flutter in the wind before the arrival of Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Seoul last year. Photo: AFP

US and South Korean soldiers disembark from armored vehicles during a joint military drill in Paju, South Korea, in 2023. Photo: AP

US B-52 bombers and South Korean KF-16 fighters jets fly in formation with Japanese warplanes during a joint air drill on July 11. Photo: South Korean Defence Ministry/AFP 

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on May 31. Photo: Reuters

General Xavier Brunson (left) walks with his predecessor as USFK commander, General Paul J. LaCamera (centre) and US Navy Admiral Samuel John Paparo (right) during a change-of-command ceremony at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, South Korea in December. Photo: EPA-EFE

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The lack of a joint statement after Lee’s summit with Trump highlights unresolved issues between the two allies, analysts say


The lack of a joint statement after Lee’s summit with Trump highlights unresolved issues between the two allies, analysts say.


After Trump talks, South Korea’s Lee has new burden: US wants military base land

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The lack of a joint statement after Lee’s summit with Trump highlights unresolved issues between the two allies, analysts say

The lack of a joint statement after Lee’s summit with Trump highlights unresolved issues between the two allies, analysts say