August 24, South Korean PresidentLee Jae-myungArriving in Washington, D.C. to open the first visit to the United States, the Korean media "dislike" the reception group is simple. The South Korean side only accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs ZhaoÏÔ, the US side only the Deputy Chief of State Department and Korean-American Colonel welcomed.

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.

Lee Jae-myung: The US has indeed put forward requirements for the flexibility of the US troops stationed in South Korea

But "this is a question that we have difficulty agreeing to."

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, defense budgets, and tariffsWait for the topic to be negotiated.

Picture of Li Zaiming's speech

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."

Li Zaiming said that the United States does opposeFlexibility of South Korea's US militaryThere 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 Zaiming pointed out that in terms of diplomacy, as the trend of "self-centered" countries becomes stronger and stronger, in order to "safeguard our national interests, we need to make several times more efforts than in the past", and we will "make preparations in advance and do our best".

Break with custom and visit Japan first and then visit the United States

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 foreign visit after taking office as South Korean president in June, except for participating in international conferences. On the 24th, Lee Jae-myung ended his visit to Japan and went to the United States, which is considered to break the practice of giving priority to visits to the United States after South Korean presidents take office.

Analysts believe that Li Zaiming, who once took a tough stance on Japan-related issues, broke with the usual practice to visit Japan first. There are both internal factors behind his transformation from an opposition party leader to a national leader, and there is also a diplomatic need to work with Japan to deal with US pressure on tariffs and security issues. However, in the long run, the historical issues between Japan and South Korea are difficult to be fundamentally resolved, and the future will still affect the relationship between the two countries for a long time.

Change of attitude.

Li reached a consensus on a series of issues such as strengthening strategic communication in the field of security, promoting cooperation in areas such as hydrogen and artificial intelligence.The joint document issued after the talks is a joint document issued by the two countries once again on the results of the summit talks after 17 years.

On June 4, in Seoul, South Korea, Li Zai-ming delivered an inaugural speech at the South Korean National Assembly, according to Xinhua 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.

Li Zee-ming has repeatedly criticized Japan on issues such as history in the past, and called the "friendship" of then-South Korean President Yoon with Japan a "humiliating diplomacy." However, after he took office as South Korean president, his attitude towards Japan changed significantly. During his trip to Canada to attend the G7 Summit in June, Li Zai-ming held his first meeting with Shigeru Ishih, claiming to manage differences and develop future-oriented relations between the two countries.

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

resisting US pressure.

According to reports, it is common practice for South Korean presidents to choose the United States for his first foreign visit after taking office. Lee Jae-myung is the first South Korean president to visit Japan since the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea. The Associated Press believes that both Japan and South Korea are currently facing pressure from the United States. Lee Jae-myung's first visit to Japan and then the United States will help him better prepare for his talks with US President Trump.

Since the Trump administration came to power, it has continued to put pressure on Japan and South Korea on issues such as trade and defense.Both countries have been the key targets of U.S. tariffs, and the United States has repeatedly called for Japan to increase defense spending and provide more funding for U.S. troops stationed in their respective territories.

White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt presents US President Trump's letter to South Korea at a press conference.

On July 7, in the White House in the U.S. capital Washington, White House press spokeswoman Caroline Levitt showed a letter from U.S. President Trump to South Korea's president, informing him that it would impose a 25% tariff on all South Korean U.S. goods from August 1.

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 side,ining and closing up Japan-Korea relations are also expected. The 23rd was "encouraging" for Li in the first visit to Japan. The Japanese reception of Li in the visit, and soon will also welcome the visit of other countries' leaders. Japanese media analysis, a series of diplomatic activities can be held successfully, will add points to the rule of Li in the ruling party, greatly alleviate the pressure of the ruling party self-government party due to the defeat of the parliamentary and parliamentary elections in both houses to demand his resignation.

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

(Source: CCTV News, Xinhua News Agency)