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.
Lee ran to the United States for the first time after being president, but this time it felt a little cool.Simply put, the United States doesn’t seem to take him too much into account, making this diplomacy a bit difficult.
Although Li Zaiming met with U.S. President Trump in Washington and chatted for an hour, which was longer than the scheduled half hour, he basically pretended to smile the entire time and got nothing in the end.
What is even more embarrassing is that Lee was not high-level American officials when he arrived in the United States., just a deputy director of protocol of the State Department, plus a Korean-American colonel, very shabby.
You know, in the past, when South Korean presidents went to the United States, the United States would send higher-level officials, and the scene would be more lively. In 2008, Bush personally went to the airport to pick up Lee Myung-bak.
Therefore, some Korean media think that,Trump wants to give Lee Jae-myung a "duel".They mainly talked about trade at the White House. Previously, the United States and South Korea had almost negotiated a trade agreement.
The United States said it would cut a 15 percent tax on Korean exports to the United States.South Korea agreed to invest 350 billion dollars in the United States and another 100 billion dollars in energy products.
This conversation is to set these things, how to distribute the money, how to buy energy, when to deliver these details are clear.
In addition to trade,The United States also said it wants to “modernize the Korean-American alliance.”This may mean that South Korea will have to pay more for its defense and rearrange the US military presence in South Korea.
The U.S. wants to make U.S. troops in South Korea more flexible, which could make South Korea more deeply involved in U.S. plans, causing tensions between South Korea and surrounding countries.
The United States even wants South Korea to increase its defense expenditure to 5% of GDP.This is a lot of money for South Korea and will affect the government's investment in people's lives, education, and medical care.
Although Li Jaiming said he disagreed on the plane to the United States,But in the end, he still agreed to "discuss and solve it".
What should be said is that when Li Zaiming went to Japan and the United States, he also sent a delegation to China. Leading the team was Park Byung-suk, former Speaker of the National Assembly, and members included Kim Tae-in and Park Tin of the Common Democratic Party, as well as important figures such as Roh Tae-woo, son of former President Roh Tae-woo.
Choosing to go to China on the 33rd anniversary of the establishment of China-Korea relations shows that South Korea attaches great importance to China-Korea relations.
In an interview with Japanese media, Li said that South Korea will work hard to improve South Korean-Japanese security cooperation and will also strengthen South Korean-American-Japanese tripartite cooperation.
At the same time, also“Take care of relations with North Korea, China, and Russia, and don’t let relations be ruined.”
This kind of diplomacy shows that Lee Jae-myung's government is quite pragmatic and wants to find a balance between values and practical interests to ensure South Korea's strategic autonomy.
Lee Jae-myung's visit to the United States caused a lot of noise in South Korea.
The opposition National Power Party scolded him and said, "It's traitorous to exchange $350 billion for tax cuts!"
Opinion polls show that 62 percent of people feel that this visit to the United States "will only make South Korea suffer," fearing that South Korea's economy will not be in control of itself, and that the opening of the agricultural market will affect the lives of ordinary people.
This also made Lee Jae-myung's approval rate rise from 63.3% in June,That's 51.1 percent of what it was in August.
Not to mention, Li Zaiming met with big bosses such as Samsung and Hyundai before his visit to the United States, and was also scolded as "sacrificing national interests and helping capitalists make money".
This crisis of confidence could affect his policies in the future.
China is also watching how the Lee Jae-myung government plays balance. Although South Korea sent people to China, there were no senior officials of the current government in it, and it felt like a formality.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said:If we mix economic and trade and security issues together, it will only harm ourselves, and the same goes for South Korea.
The business relationship between the two countries is very iron, China has been South Korea's largest trading partner for many years in a row, and South Korea exports money to China, accounting for 30 percent of its total exports.
South Korea's important industries such as semiconductors and displays need key materials.More than 60% of them were bought from ChinaThis cooperation has closely linked the economies of the two countries
Generally speaking, Lee Zee-ming's visit to the United States is because South Korea wants to find a way out in the complex international situation.
His “practical diplomacy” seeks to find a balance between U.S. and South Korean cooperation, restoration and China’s relations, mitigation and relations with North Korea.
ButThe United States is always engaged in unilateralism, and South Korea's economy is relatively weak.Coupled with the complexity of geopolitics in Northeast Asia, South Korea's options are limited.
If South Korea does not adhere to its own ideas on important issues such as trade and security, it may fall deeper and deeper. It relies more on the United States for security, cannot make its own decisions economically, and no one will believe it in diplomacy.
So how South Korea can find a balance between safeguarding national interests and balancing big-power relations is probably more important than the $353 billion deal, and also more to test Lee's own affairs.
Sources say thatAfter visiting the shipyard and Xu Zaibi Memorial Hall bought by Hanwha Group in Philadelphia, Li Zaiming has begun to return to China.
However, there is grapevine that Trump wants to invite Li Zaiming to go to China with him, but Li Zaiming previously rejected China's invitation to the 93rd military parade.
Now, the presidential palace of South Korea hasn't said anything yet.People at the Blue House said that Li Zaiming was thinking carefully about whether another trip to China would be good or bad.
References:
1. "KCNA criticizes Lee Jae-ming's remarks during his visit to the United States: South Korea has extremely absurd delusions" 2025-08-27 11:10| Source: China News Network
2. "Lee Jae-myung's first visit to the United States, 140 minutes, 10 details" 2025-08-26 21:26 | Source: Qianlong.com
3. "Wang Yi meets with South Korean Presidential Special Envoy Park Byung-seok" 2025-08-26 05:58 | Source: People's Daily Online
4. "Trump answers Phoenix reporter and invites Li Zaiming to visit China with him on the spot" 2025-08-26 12:26| Source: Phoenix Satellite TV