Trump, South Korean President to Hold Economic, Security Summit

U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will hold their first bilateral meeting in Washington on Aug. 25 to discuss trade and defense cooperation, South Korea’s presidential spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Kang Yu-jung told reporters the two leaders will discuss developing U.S.–South Korea relations “into a future-oriented, comprehensive strategic alliance in response to the changing international security and economic environment,” according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.

During Lee’s three-day visit, they will discuss partnerships related to critical minerals and technology, as well as cooperation in shipbuilding, battery, and semiconductor production.

“They will also discuss ways to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula and coordinate on denuclearization, while further strengthening the robust Korea–U.S. combined deterrence posture,” Kang added.

This will be the first trip to Washington for Lee since he took office following the snap election in June after the ouster of President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The meeting will take place less than a month after the two countries reached a trade agreement that allowed South Korea to avoid a 25 percent tariff.

On July 30, the United States and South Korea agreed on a trade deal that sees a 15 percent tariff on South Korean imports to the United States, with U.S. products being able to enter South Korean ports duty-free.

Trump said this included South Korea’s accepting U.S.-made cars, trucks, and agricultural products.

Seoul agreed to invest $350 million in assets owned and controlled by the United States, with specifics to be selected by Trump himself. The Southeast Asian country will also purchase $100 billion worth of liquefied natural gas or other energy products from the United States.

South Korea also agreed to make investments in U.S. energy. Trump said in a Truth Social post at the time that details would be announced during Lee’s visit to Washington.

Joint Military Exercises

Lee’s summit with Trump will occur while their respective countries are engaged in the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military drills.

The exercises will take place between Aug. 18 and 28 and involve about 18,000 South Korean troops, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson, Col. Lee Sung Joon, said during an Aug. 7 joint briefing with U.S. Forces Korea, which did not disclose the number of participating U.S. troops.

Col. Lee Sung Joon said the threat from North Korea’s advancing missile and nuclear programs will be a key focus of the drills, which will include training to respond to missile attacks and deter nuclear use.

“We look across the globe at the challenges we may face on the battlefield and incorporate that so we can challenge the participants in the exercise,” said Col. Ryan Donald, U.S. Forces Korea public affairs director.

“We are focused on ensuring the alliance is sustainable and credibly deters aggression from the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] and addresses the broader regional security challenges.”

To boost combat readiness and strengthen interoperability, units will conduct several large-scale, live-fire training events, the U.S. Army said in an Aug. 8 statement.

The U.S.–South Korean defense alliance was forged on Oct. 1, 1953, with the signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty, following the July 27, 1953, signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement, which ended active combat in the Korean War and established the cease-fire.

The U.S. Department of State describes the Mutual Defense Treaty as the “linchpin for security and stability in the Indo-Pacific.”

Close to 30,000 U.S. military personnel are stationed in South Korea, according to the department.

“Over 28,500 U.S. military personnel are stationed in [South Korea] and work closely with the [South Korean] military and United Nations Command member countries to deter and defend against the threat from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and maintain the Korean Armistice Agreement,” the State Department said in a Jan. 20 statement.

PA Media and Joseph Lord contributed to this report.