“WHAT IS GOING ON IN SOUTH KOREA? Seems like a Purge or Revolution. We can’t have that and do business there.” — U.S. President Donald Trump
WASHINGTON – South Korean President Lee Jae-myung arrived at the White House for his first meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, a high-stakes summit set against the backdrop of a public social media post by Trump questioning the stability of the Asian nation. The visit is intended to address critical issues of trade, security, and the future of the alliance.
Hours before the meeting, President Trump posted on his social media platform, “WHAT IS GOING ON IN SOUTH KOREA? Seems like a Purge or Revolution. We can’t have that and do business there.” According to reports from Anadolu Ajansı, the comments appeared to reference the political turmoil in South Korea that followed the impeachment and removal of former President Yoon Suk-yeol after he declared martial law in December 2024.
South Korean officials, as reported by Al Jazeera, had anticipated that the meeting would be challenging, given Trump’s “America First” foreign policy and his past criticisms of trade imbalances and defense cost-sharing. The visit is particularly significant as it follows a July trade agreement in which South Korea pledged substantial investments in the U.S. in exchange for reduced tariffs on its exports.
The summit is expected to focus on solidifying the alliance, with President Lee tasked with reassuring the Trump administration of South Korea’s reliability as an ally, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. Topics for discussion include defense cost-sharing, regional security in the face of an increasingly assertive China, and the details of South Korea’s investment package in U.S. industries like shipbuilding and semiconductors.
