On August 24, the President of South KoreaLee is out.Arriving in Washington, D.C. to start his first visit to the United States, the Korean media "disliked" the crude reception group. The South Korean side was only accompanied by Foreign Minister Zhao Xian, while the US side was only greeted by the Deputy Chief of Protocol of the State Council and a Korean-American colonel.

It is reported that President South Korea's previous visit to the United States was accompanied by at least the chief of protocol and ministerial officials. In 2008, George W. Bush personally greeted Lee Myung-bak. During the brief welcoming ceremony, the US military colonel presented Lee Jae-myung with a commemorative coin. This arrangement by the US side was interpreted as a clear signal to adopt a "minimum protocol" for this visit, and it was also interpreted by Korean media as a signal that Lee Jae-myung's visit to the United States may not go smoothly.

Li Zaiming: The US has indeed put forward requirements for the flexibility of the US military stationed in South Korea

But "this is an issue we can hardly agree on"

South Korean President Lee told reporters on his flight from Japan to Washington on Monday that during this visit he will discuss with US President Trump.Security, Defence Budgets and TariffsAnd other issues for consultation.

Lee speaks in the picture.

On the same day, Lee Jae-myung ended his visit to Japan and had a discussion with the accompanying press group on a special plane from Japan to the United States. Regarding the topics of the ROK-US leaders' meeting scheduled for the 25th local time, Lee Jae-myung said that he didn't want to set limits on the topics, and "I hope to talk about all the necessary things", but "there are not many topics that suddenly appear in the summit meeting, and the main topics will be negotiated in advance". The main topics of this meeting will cover "security, defense budget and tariff issues, etc."

Lee Jae-myung said that the United States didThe United States¡¯ flexibility.There were demands, but "this is a difficult issue for us to agree," and the South Korean side "needs to discuss issues such as the future strategization of the U.S. military in South Korea." Li said that the Korean and U.S. claims about the U.S. military in South Korea are slightly different, but the two sides will adjust according to the tone of consultation.

Li said that in foreign affairs, with the tendency of countries "to focus on their own country" becoming stronger and stronger, in order to "protect our national interests, it is necessary to make several times more efforts than in the past", he will "prepare in advance and make the best efforts".

Break the usual visit after the day.

What is the signal released?

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung visited Japan on the 23rd and met with Japanese Prime Ministerstone brokenHold talks. This is Lee Jae-myung's first overseas trip since he took office as South Korean president in June, except for attending international conferences. On the 24th, Lee Jae-ming ended his visit to Japan and headed for the United States, which is believed to have broken the practice of giving priority to the visit by South Korean presidents after taking office.

Analysts believe that Lee Jae-myung, who once took a tough stance on Japan-related issues, broke the usual visit to Japan first, behind which are not only the internal factors of changing from the leader of the opposition party to the leader of the state, but also the diplomatic need to work with Japan to deal with the pressure of the United States on tariffs and security issues. However, in the long run, the historical problems between Japan and South Korea are difficult to fundamentally solve, and will still affect the relations between the two countries for a long time in the future.

Change in attitude towards Japan

Li Zaiming and Shigeru Ishiba reached consensus on a series of issues such as strengthening strategic communication in the field of security and promoting cooperation in fields such as hydrogen energy and artificial intelligence during their talks on the 23rd. The joint document issued after the talks is the second joint document issued by the two countries on the outcomes of the summit after 17 years.

On June 4, in Seoul, South Korea, Lee Jae-myung delivered an inaugural speech at the South Korean National Assembly, according to Xinhua News Agency.

The head of the National Security Room of South Korea, Wei Sanlo, said on Thursday that the time of the small-scale talks between the two sides was much longer than planned, meaning the two leaders believe that the two countries need to deal with a lot of issues together.

In the past, Li has repeatedly criticized Japan on issues such as history, and called Yinxiang's "friendliness" with the South Korean president was "humiliating diplomacy".But after he took office as South Korean president, the attitude toward Japan had changed significantly.During his visit to Canada in June to the G7 summit, Li held his first meeting with Shapro Mou, claiming to control differences and develop future-oriented relations between the two countries.

In an exclusive interview with Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun on the 19th, Li Ziming said that South Korea and Japan cannot dwell on historical issues and need to find mutually beneficial methods and expand areas of cooperation. He even argued about the 2015 Japan-South Korea "comfort women" agreement, which he had strongly opposed in the past, that "this is a commitment between countries and (the agreement) should not be overturned." Regarding his change in attitude, he explained that he needed to "fight" when he was in opposition, but now that he is in power, he has to "show tolerance."

Analysts believe that as a representative of the Korean progressive, asking Japan to take responsibility on historical issues is Li's political philosophy, and in the field it is necessary to show its differences from the conservatives through criticism of Japan.

Jointly resist US pressure

According to reports, the first foreign visit of the South Korean president after taking office is customary to choose the United States, Lee in Ming is the first South Korean president to visit Japan since the normalization of Japanese-Korean relations. The Associated Press believes that Japan is currently facing pressure from the United States, and Lee in the first visit to the United States, which helps him better prepare for talks with US President Trump.

Since Trump took office, it has continued to put pressure on Japan and South Korea on issues such as trade and defense. Both countries are the key targets of tariff increase imposed by the United States. The United States has repeatedly asked Japan and South Korea to increase defense spending and provide more funds for the U.S. troops stationed in their respective territories.

White House Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt presents a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump to his South Korean counterpart at a press conference

On July 7, at the White House in Washington, D.C., White House Press Spokesperson Carolyn Levitt displayed a letter from U.S. President Trump to the President of South Korea at a press conference, informing him that from August 1, a 25% tariff on goods exported to the United States will be imposed on all South Korea. Photo by Xinhua Agency reporter Hu Yousong

Japanese Comrades University professor Yoshida Chang believes that the coordination of Japan and South Korea's position in advance can create a certain pressure on the United States, and if the two countries agree on economic and security issues, South Korea will likely have a greater voice in negotiations with the United States.

Choi Eun-mi, a research member of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in South Korea, pointed out that Ishiba Mao has held talks with Trump, and listening to his opinions in advance will help Li Jaiming cope with the talks with Trump. The summit meeting between South Korea and Japan has also become an opportunity for the two to communicate on how to deal with the highly uncertain Trump administration.

From the Japanese perspective, maintaining and bringing Japan-South Korea relations closer is also expected. Shigeru Ishiba expressed "encouragement" to Li Jaiming's first visit to Japan on the 23rd. Japan received Li Jaiming's visit and will soon welcome visits from leaders of other countries. According to Japanese media analysis, if a series of diplomatic activities can be successfully held, it will add points to Ishiba's rule and greatly ease the pressure on the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to step down due to the defeat of the House of Representatives and Senate elections.

Sources: CCTV News (Reporter Zhang Yun), Xinhua Agency (Reporters Chen Ze 'an, Huang Xinxin, Lu Rui)

(Source: CCTV News, Xinhua Agency)