South Korea's Lee faces pivotal test at first summit with Trump

25/8/2025 13:07

South Korea's new president, Lee Jae Myung, will face a pivotal moment on Monday when he meets U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington for their first summit, as the countries' decades-old alliance strains to confront rapid geopolitical changes.



Much is riding on the meeting for Lee, who took office in June after a snap election called after his conservative predecessor - feted in Washington for his hard line on North Korea - was removed for attempting to impose martial law.



South Korea's economy relies heavily on the U.S., with Washington underwriting its security with troops and nuclear deterrence. Lee hopes to chart a balanced path of cooperation with the U.S., while not antagonising top trade partner China.



As he headed to the U.S., Lee sent a special delegation to Beijing, which delivered a message calling for normalised relations with China that have been strained in recent years.



South Korea has long come under targeted criticism from Trump, who has called it a "money machine" that takes advantage of American military protection.