August 22, 2025

Upcoming Trump-Lee Summit: Modernizing the Alliance by First Reaffirming Long-Standing Principles

By: Dr. Duyeon Kim

This article was originally published in Korea on Point.

United States President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung will meet for the first time on August 25 in Washington, DC. Trump and his first administration have worked with a progressive South Korean government before. However, it is not inevitable that the alliance is in for another bumpy ride simply because there is another progressive ally in Seoul. The new South Korean President Lee Jae-myung represents a departure from the traditional progressivism of his predecessors Moon Jae-in (2017-2022) or even Roh Moo-hyun (2003-2008). In other words, Lee may not possess deep, ideological convictions when it comes to dealing with Japan and the United States, although his critics claim he is “pro-China” for comments made in the past and “pro-North Korea” for allegedly transferring funds illegally to the regime when he was a provincial governor.

In fact, those around Lee claim that he is a foreign policy novice. Some who have worked closely with him even say “he does not care about foreign affairs,” meaning that his priority is domestic policy and domestic politics. Lee is also a self-proclaimed pragmatist, which will certainly be tested in his meeting with Trump and throughout his presidency.

Trump and Lee could reaffirm their country’s commitment to the alliance amid shifting security dynamics and agree to modernize it in broad terms to meet the needs of today and the future.

The most notable difference from the Moon government is that half of the political appointees on Lee’s national security team are seen as pragmatic and half are considered ideological or traditional progressives. He has appointed pragmatic, career diplomats to lead the country’s national security and foreign policy. If Lee delegates foreign policy to them and accepts their recommendations, then South Korea’s foreign policy will exhibit more consistency than divergence with a conservative approach. This means that, unlike during the Moon government, the US-Korea alliance relationship will likely be quite smooth. However, Trump’s unpredictable style could tip the balance.

The first indication of such consistency is Lee stating before and after his election that his foreign policy will be based on the alliance with the US and trilateral cooperation with Japan. The architect of such approach is evidently National Security Advisor Wi Sung-lac who is respected by the foreign policy community in Seoul. He is known for his pragmatic, strategic mind and could have easily led foreign policy in a conservative administration. Wi has a strong ally on the team with newly-appointed Foreign Minister Cho Hyun. Their main challenge will be grabbing the ear of their president fully as Lee’s national security team also has ideological officials leading the country’s spy agency and Unification Ministry as well as traditionally-progressive mentors who could be influential without assuming an official role.

Read the full article on Korea on Point.

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