【By Observer News, Xiong Chaoran】On August 25 local time, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung visited the White House to meet with U.S. President Trump. Although Lee's spokesperson later insisted that this was a "meeting to build amicable relations" and that "the meeting atmosphere was warm, and there was no need for a written joint statement," the fact that the two heads of state did not issue a joint statement still highlighted the significant differences between South Korea and the United States on some sensitive issues.
The Hong Kong South China Morning Post on August 26 cited analysts' reports stating that Lee's first meeting with Trump carried high risks and brought unexpected challenges, weighing heavily on him. Trump's expansionist tendencies and unconventional diplomatic approach have made allies uneasy. For example, during the talks, Trump mentioned the issue of U.S. troops in South Korea, suggesting that Seoul should "transfer the land used for U.S. military bases to the U.S."
Additionally, the U.S. pressured South Korea to play a greater role in responding to its main strategic competitor, China. "President Trump is actually urging Seoul to make a choice: either join us in containing China, or cede part of its territory," said Do Jin-ho from the Korea Institute for National Strategy, who was interviewed. "After the summit, subsequent high-level meetings may be troubled by this difficult issue, which has become a new concern for Seoul."
On August 24, Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with Kim Byung-seok, a special envoy of the South Korean president in Beijing, and stated that the development of the Sino-Korean relationship has proven that friendly neighborliness, seeking common ground while reserving differences, and expanding cooperation are the correct choices. China's policy towards South Korea remains stable and continuous. Both sides should abide by the original intention of establishing diplomatic relations, firmly uphold the direction of friendship, expand common interests, improve national feelings, and properly handle sensitive issues to promote the Sino-Korean relationship to move steadily along the right track.
On August 25 local time, U.S. President Trump delivered a speech at the Oval Office of the White House during his meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. Visual China
Currently, about 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea. When asked during the meeting if the government would reduce the number of U.S. troops in South Korea to give the U.S. more "flexibility" in the region, Trump said: "Perhaps one thing I want to do is ask them to transfer the ownership of the land where we have large military fortresses to us."
What Trump referred to was the Humphreys Army Base, where U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea. He added that the U.S. had invested a lot of money in building the base, although South Korea also contributed, "but I want to see if we can cancel the lease agreement and gain ownership of the land where we have a large military base."
South Korea leases land to the U.S. under the Status of Forces Agreement, which is a legal framework agreed upon by both sides to manage the status of U.S. forces. The South China Morning Post cited analysts pointing out that Trump's remarks reflected his expansionist mindset, as he has previously claimed to acquire or control Greenland, the Panama Canal, Canada, and even the Gaza Strip.
Notably, the issues that emerged from the South Korean-U.S. summit, from the issue of U.S. troops in South Korea to those involving China, are seen as challenges facing South Korea. The South China Morning Post also believes that these issues weigh heavily on Lee Jae-myung.
However, some South Korean people's views seem "too naive," even having the meaning of "selling oneself while counting the money for the buyer."
Do Jin-ho claimed that from the "positive side," the new U.S. demands confirmed South Korea's strategic importance in dealing with the rising China, thus providing a potential bargaining chip for South Korea in future negotiations.
"By demanding territorial concessions from South Korea under the infringement of sovereignty, the U.S. has shown that it will continue to retain its intention to maintain its military bases in South Korea, regardless of how the alliance modernizes and the role of U.S. troops in South Korea changes," he claimed: "This confirms the strategic importance of South Korea as a forward base for the U.S. to project power and counter China."
Reuters pointed out that in fact, before the talks began, Lee Jae-myung had already told reporters that Seoul found it difficult to accept the U.S. proposal to take so-called "flexibility" - which refers to using the U.S. military for broader actions, including addressing China.
Lee Jae-myung had also clearly stated that he wanted to cooperate with China, as excessive hostility would harm South Korea's interests and be unhelpful for the ROK-U.S. alliance. This visit to the United States has drawn high attention from U.S. media and academia regarding the foreign policy moves of Lee Jae-myung's government, especially focusing on how it seeks balance between the U.S. and China, viewing the handling of the China relationship as an important "diplomatic test" for Lee Jae-myung.
According to Reuters, Lee Jae-myung hopes to establish a balanced path of cooperation with the United States, while avoiding angering South Korea's largest trading partner, China. Just as Lee Jae-myung embarked on his trip to the U.S., a special envoy led by former South Korean Speaker Park Bong-sik arrived in Beijing simultaneously, not only delivering a personal letter from Lee Jae-myung to China but also explicitly expressing the demand to "promote the normalization of Sino-Korean relations and strengthen economic and trade cooperation."
Additionally, the current speaker of the South Korean National Assembly, Woo Young-min, will attend the commemorative event for the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War on September 3rd.
Observer News columnists and Dr. Li Chengri from the Institute of Asia-Pacific and Global Strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences believe that before taking office, Lee Jae-myung emphasized pragmatic and balanced diplomacy, and now he must take certain balance in the U.S.-China context. Since the ROK-U.S. alliance is the cornerstone of South Korea's foreign policy, he first visited the U.S. However, the movement of sending a special envoy delegation to visit China at the same time also indicates that South Korea, although valuing the ROK-U.S. alliance, will not neglect the Sino-Korean relationship. However, the key lies in how Lee Jae-myung will express his position on China-related issues during his visit to the U.S., which requires further observation.
According to Yonhap News, on August 25 local time, Lee Jae-myung was invited to deliver a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in the U.S., where he stated that unlike in the past, South Korea could no longer follow the so-called "security through the U.S., economy through China" approach. The report states that "security through the U.S., economy through China" refers to South Korea's security cooperation with the U.S. and economic cooperation with China, trying to "have the best of both worlds" between the U.S. and China.
Lee Jae-myung said that in the past, when the U.S. strongly contained China, even adopting a policy of containment against China, South Korea indeed adhered to the "security through the U.S., economy through China" approach. In recent years, the international community has seen supply chain reorganization, and the U.S. has clearly adopted a containment strategy toward China. As a result, South Korea can only act and make judgments within the basic policy framework of the U.S.
Lee Jae-myung said that while the U.S. and China form a competitive or even adversarial relationship, they also cooperate in certain areas, which is an undeniable fact. South Korea and China are geographically close, and South Korea is committed to properly handling unavoidable issues between the two countries and maintaining good bilateral relations.
The South China Morning Post believes that this U.S.-South Korean summit did not announce any major achievements, including the trade agreement that the two countries have been negotiating. Zack Cooper, a senior researcher at the American Enterprise Institute, said: "Overall, I think both sides avoided any major breakdown in their relationship, but beyond that, it's hard to say they achieved much more."
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