South Korea’s Lee Faces First Big Test in Summit with Trump

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung is facing his most significant diplomatic challenge yet as he meets U.S. President Donald Trump for the first time in Washington. The summit comes just two months after Lee took office in a snap election and is being closely watched for signals on the future of the U.S.–South Korea alliance and Seoul’s broader foreign policy direction.

Lee has sought to balance Seoul’s security reliance on Washington with its deep economic ties to China, its largest trading partner. In a sign of this delicate diplomacy, he sent a senior delegation to Beijing ahead of the summit to reassure Chinese officials and keep bilateral relations stable.

The Washington talks are expected to focus on trade, defense spending, and North Korea. A preliminary understanding has already been reached to avert sweeping U.S. tariffs on Korean exports, though the specifics of that arrangement remain under negotiation. On security, Trump is likely to press Lee for higher contributions to host U.S. troops and for greater operational freedom, while Lee is expected to push back against expanding American military influence on the peninsula.

North Korea will also dominate the agenda. Both leaders appear to favor a phased approach to easing tensions and addressing Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions, a stance that follows Lee’s recent coordination meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to strengthen trilateral cooperation in East Asia.

Another major initiative under discussion is the “Make American Shipbuilding Great Again” (MASGA) plan. Championed by South Korea, it proposes a $150 billion collaboration in shipbuilding, including LNG carriers and naval vessels, with significant investment in U.S. shipyards such as Hanwha’s facility in Philadelphia.

The summit will be a crucial indicator of how President Lee manages his balancing act between Washington and Beijing while safeguarding South Korea’s economic and security interests.