The US-South Korea relationship may be in trouble! Rubio suddenly canceled his visit to South Korea! After reports emerged that China has officially invited Lee Jae-myung to attend the September 3rd victory memorial ceremony of the War of Resistance against Japan, the South Korean side said it was communicating with China and could not disclose specific details. Then, Rubio suddenly canceled his visit to South Korea. On July 3rd, foreign media confirmed that Rubio had originally planned to visit South Korea from August 8th to 9th, and had coordinated the schedule with the South Korean government to make a courtesy visit to President Lee Jae-myung of South Korea.

However, just as the visit was being prepared, the United States informed South Korea that due to local situations and other reasons, the visit to South Korea would be difficult to proceed. In fact, experts have said that since Lee Jae-myung took office, although South Korea still places great importance on the US-South Korea relationship, the relationship is not necessarily problematic but is indeed becoming colder. A clear example of this is that Lee Jae-myung's first visit to the United States and the scheduled summit between him and Trump have been continuously postponed and have not been finalized to this day.

Rubio's cancellation of the visit to South Korea undoubtedly indicates a decline in the closeness of US-South Korea diplomacy. In fact, during the G7 summit held in Canada, Lee Jae-myung, who attended the G7 meeting, had the opportunity to meet with Trump, but due to Trump's sudden early return, the meeting did not take place. The United States now claims it is due to local situations and other reasons, but it seems like an excuse.

It is obvious to everyone that since Lee Jae-myung took office, South Korea's foreign policy is undergoing a clear shift. Lee Jae-myung hopes to ease the inter-Korean relations, cool down the tense South Russia relations, and also intends to deepen cooperation with China. This time, the outside world is highly concerned about whether Lee Jae-myung will follow Park Geun-hye's example in 2015 by attending our military parade and using this opportunity to visit China. Therefore, the United States canceling the visit is not accidental; it is very likely a way for the United States to pressure South Korea.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1836607900972042/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.