President Lee Jae Myung was set to embark on a key diplomatic trip Saturday, beginning with a visit to Japan for summit talks with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. The Tokyo meeting marks the first leg of Lee’s high-stakes overseas mission, which will continue with a pivotal summit with US President Donald Trump in Washington next week.
President Lee Jae Myung (Yonhap)
Lee and Ishiba, who previously met on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Canada in June, are expected to use their Tokyo summit to promote “future-oriented” relations and build personal ties. National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said Friday the meeting is also intended to reinforce diplomatic cooperation between Seoul and Tokyo.
In an interview with Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun on Thursday, Lee reaffirmed his intention to uphold past agreements on politically sensitive historical issues, including wartime forced labor and the so-called “comfort women.”
Following the Tokyo summit, Lee will travel to the United States on Sunday for his first in-person meeting with Trump since taking office in early June. The summit is expected to focus on reworking the alliance between Seoul and Washington amid evolving regional dynamics.
National Security Adviser Wi said the two leaders will discuss efforts toward “alliance modernization” during their meeting at the White House. “Our envisioned alliance modernization is aimed at making our security stronger and further reinforcing the combined defense posture of South Korea and the US,” he stated.
The summit comes on the heels of a new trade agreement in which Washington agreed to lower proposed “reciprocal” tariffs on South Korean goods from 25 percent to 15 percent. In return, Seoul pledged major investments and expanded market access, signaling closer economic ties between the allies.
Amid growing US concerns over China’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific, analysts note that the Biden administration may use the “modernization” agenda to explore adjustments to the US troop presence in South Korea, an issue likely to surface in Lee and Trump’s talks.
A day after the White House summit, Lee plans to visit Hanwha Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia alongside senior US officials. The facility, acquired by Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean, has been described by Wi as “a symbol of shipbuilding cooperation” between the two nations.
Lee will conclude his US trip with a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, underscoring the historic and strategic ties between South Korea and the United States.
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