Tokyo: President Lee Jae Myung headed to Washington on Sunday for high-stakes summit talks with U.S. President Donald Trump after wrapping up his two-day visit to Japan.
According to Yonhap News Agency, in Tokyo, Lee and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba held summit talks on Saturday. They agreed to deepen cooperation to address shifting global trade and security dynamics and to strengthen trilateral ties with the United States. Lee highlighted his decision to make Japan his first diplomatic destination for a bilateral summit since taking office, emphasizing the importance of ties with a "neighbor sharing the front yard" and an "indispensable partner."
In Washington, Lee is scheduled to hold his first in-person meeting with Trump at the White House. Discussions are expected to focus on trade and security issues following a tariff deal struck between Seoul and Washington in late July. Lee faces a pivotal foreign policy test as the Trump administration seeks to "modernize" the alliance with South Korea, potentially involving higher South Korean defense spending and a realignment of U.S. Forces Korea amid Washington's efforts to counter China's assertive stance.
The two leaders are also anticipated to finalize details of the broad trade agreement that reduced U.S. "reciprocal" tariffs on Korean goods to 15 percent from 25 percent. This reduction came in exchange for Seoul's $350 billion investment pledges and other commitments.
Following the White House talks, Lee will attend a business roundtable with top corporate executives from both countries and deliver a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Lee also plans to visit Hanwha Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia, regarded as a symbol of bilateral shipbuilding cooperation, before returning to Seoul.