The contents of this article are written with authoritative materials and personal opinions. The source of the literature has been marked at the end of the article, so please know.
This world is sometimes full of surprises.
Five days ago, South Korean President Lee flew to Washington to begin his visit to the United States.
Just a few hours before the meeting, Trump tweeted directly on social media:"What's wrong with South Korea? Is it a shuffle or a revolution?"
He also stressed that "this must not be allowed to happen" and made it clear that the United States cannot do business with South Korea under such circumstances.
These words made the South Korean delegation a little panicked and worried that Li Zai-ming would encounter an embarrassing situation.
Lee Jae-myung's trip to the United States this time is a little different.He didn't visit the United States first like the previous South Korean president, but went to other countries first.
On August 23, Lee Jae-ming first went to Japan and met with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo.
The leaders of both countries agreed to develop relations well. Kyodo News said that Ishiba found it "very happy."
Some have analyzed that Lee broke the convention in Ming, on the one hand because he turned from an opposition leader to a president.On the other hand, it is also because of the need to work with Japan to deal with US pressure on tariffs and security issues.
When Lee Jae-myung arrived in the United States, the United States only sentDeputy Chief of State Department and a Korean-American ColonelCome pick him up.
This is much more comparable to the previous visit of the South Korean president to the United States, at least with the reception chief and ministerial officials.
In 2008, when then-South Korean President Lee Myung-bak visited the United States,US President George W. Bush also went to pick him up in person.
South Korean media said that such a "simple" welcome ceremony by the United States showed that Li Zai-ming's visit may not go smoothly.
However, the atmosphere after the talks began was unexpectedly good.Trump and Lee Jae-myung first chatted for about 54 minutes in the Oval Office of the White House, and then the two sides had a closed-door meeting in the cabinet room and had lunch together.
The two sides chatted for about 140 minutes, longer than the originally planned 2 hours.
During the talks, Trump made an unexpected request.
He directly said that he wanted South Korea to give the United States the land of some of the U.S. military "large military bases" in South Korea, so there is no need to "lease".
Trump was referring to Camp Humphreys, where U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea.
He said the U.S. has spent a lot of money on building the camp, and that while South Korea has worked hard, he wants to see “whether we can cancel the lease agreement and get the land we own with a large military base.”
According to the agreement between the United States and South Korea on U.S. forces in South Korea,Not only does South Korea provide land for the US military bases for free, but it will also bear most of the cost of its troops.
Trump's request is seen as a sign of his desire to expand his power, just as he said before to buy or control Greenland, the Panama Canal and even Canada.
In the face of Trump's request, Lee Jae-myung made clear South Korea's position.Before the talks began, he said the U.S. wanted to increase the “strategic flexibility” of the U.S. troops in South Korea, but South Korea did not agree.
Lee Jae-myung's "strategic flexibility" refers to allowing the US military to have a wider scope of action, including dealing with China.
After Trump proposed land ownership, his position became even more firm.
Lee Zae-ming also said that South Korea has already paid a lot of money to the US military, but the land issue can be further discussed.This principled and flexible attitude reflects Li Zaiming's pragmatic style in diplomacy.
In response to Trump’s pressure, Lee brought a big financial gift bag with him.
He promised South Korea would invest 0 billion in the United States,Mainly invested in shipbuilding, automobiles, chips, electronics and energy industries.
In shipbuilding, South Korea will invest US$150 billion. Trump made it clear thatHopefully, through cooperation with South Korea, the U.S. shipbuilding industry will flourish again.
In response, Trump said the U.S. intended to buy some ships from South Korea, but also hoped that South Korean shipbuilders would produce in the U.S. with local workers.
After a few hours of conversation,Korean Airlines has announced that it will buy more than 100 Boeing aircraft worth about $50 billion.This is the largest deal in the history of Korean aviation.
When it came to the planned visit to China, Trump unexpectedly invited Li Jaiming to go with him.
Trump said:"Maybe we can go together. If you want to go, we can go on the same plane, which will save energy and protect the ozone layer."
Lee smiled and said, “I’m willing to go with you,” Trump then said he could apply for “special permission,” and confidently said, “We’ll have a good relationship with China.”
During Li’s visit to the United States, he also sent a special mission to Beijing.From August 24 to 27, the special presidential mission of South Korea, accompanied by former congressman Park Bingsi, visited China.
Park Byung-suk is a "China hand". He has been a Hong Kong journalist for six years and a visiting professor at Wuhan University. He has many contacts with top leaders in China. Members of the special envoy team also include Roh Jae-hsien, son of former President Roh Tae-woo.
The special envoy team brought Li Zaiming's personal letter, breaking the practice of South Korea sending special envoys to China, Russia, the United States, and Japan at the same time, demonstrating the importance it attaches to China.
On August 25, the special envoy andChinese Foreign Minister Wang YiAfter meeting,The next day, he also met with Zhao Leji, Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China.
South Korea also announced that starting from September 29,The visa-free trial for Chinese groups of tourists until June next year released a friendly signal.
This strategy of "taking care of both sides" shows the diplomatic wisdom of the Li Zai-ming government. It not only ignores its traditional ally, the United States, but also actively improves relations with China.
On the Korean Peninsula issue, the two leaders have found some common themes.
Li Ziming suggested that Trump contact North Korean leaders andHe also joked that he could build a Trump Tower in North Korea and "play another game of golf".
Trump listened with pleasure and said he was looking forward to meeting with the North Korean leader at the right time, “preferably this year.”
He told reporters:I have a good relationship with the North Korean leader and I think the country he leads has great potential and good prospects.”
Li Zai-ming responded: "I look forward to your meeting with North Korean leaders, building Trump Tower in North Korea and playing golf there." He also hopes that Trump will open a "new path for peace" on the Korean Peninsula.
After the talks, Trump stopped criticizing South Korea on social media, but talked about other things.
Lee Jae-myung went to Philadelphia Shipyard, a shipyard acquired by a Korean company.Tour the equipment and emphasize that investment can help increase jobs in the United States.
References:
“What the two sides talked about in Korea’s visit to Japan” 2025-08-26 04:30 PM Source: Lightning Network
2. "Lee Jae-ming's visit to the United States was greeted by the lowest protocol specifications, and the" offended "South Korea urgently needs to win back a city in the negotiations" 2025-08-26 00:10 | Source: Shangguan News
3. "Trump: The land of South Korea can be given to the United States" 2025-08-26 22:16 | Source: Global Times