SEOUL, South Korea – South Korean President Lee Jae-myeon is set to meet President Donald Trump for the first time.
After a day’s meeting with Tokyo’s Japanese Prime Minister Isgaba, Lee arrived in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, ahead of an official work-level meeting in the White House with Trump.
This is the first time two heads of state have met.
Their summit followed the July trade deal, with Washington agreeing to cut South Korea’s mutual tariffs to 15% from the initially proposed 25%.
The conference was extremely important to South Korea, with its involvement with the Trump administration disrupted by domestic political turmoil and ignited by a brief declaration of martial law announced in December by the country’s former president of the country’s ammo each.
The discussion will focus on resolving details of the unwritten July trade contract, which involves South Korea agreeing to buy $100 million in US energy and invest $350 million in the US economy.
In addition to these eye-opening sums, the US direct investments that are expected by Korean companies and Trump mentioned will be decided during their talks.
Along with Kim Hee Kyoung’s first lady, Lee leads a delegation formed by the heads of top Korean conglomerates, including Samsung Electronics, SK Group, Hyundai Motor and LG Group.
According to South Korea’s Daily Mail Business Newspaper, only four companies are already known to provide roughly 126 trillion won ($91.2 billion) for direct investment in the US.
Choi Yoon Joon, a leading researcher at Sejong Institute in Seoul, said Lee must be deliberative and direct with Trump in consultations as “Korea is in a severe difficulties in terms of trade with the US compared to the past.”
“It is important that President Lee explains how investment is designed to serve the US national interests and reminds Trump that he is a close trading partner who has experienced major challenges over 20 years ago to realize a free trade agreement,” Chae told Al Jazeera.
Mason Richie, a professor of international politics at Hankkuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS), said the direction of investment consultations is likely to be “unpredictable.”
“Not only is the current 15% tariff likely to remain overwhelming, but the investment portion of the transaction remains unknown and likely to be subject to unpredictable adjustments by the White House,” Richie told Al Jazeera.
Shipbuilding is one area Trump clearly wants South Korea as an important partner in keeping up with China’s naval fleet, which leads in terms of vast numbers and brings technological advancements.
Seoul officials previously said key elements of their tariff agreement with Washington include a partnership worth around $150 billion to help rebuild the US shipbuilding industry.
To that end, after visiting the White House, Lee heads to Philadelphia to visit the Philadelphia shipyard, which was purchased last year by the Korean company Hanwha Group.
Analysts also say battery production and semiconductors are other sectors where Trump has set a clear objective to boost the US capabilities and that South Korea is an enthusiastic and interested in being its partner.
“The South Korean government is also willing to actively participate in the ‘modernization’ of its alliance with the United States. This could include increased contributions to local security and development support,” said Choi of Sejong Institute.
Another major point of discussion is that Seoul and Washington’s defense stances concern the growing threat from North Korea, and the development of strategic alliances to address changes in the international security and economic environment.
“The pressure on the role of the US military on the evolution of the Korean Peninsula has grown over the years,” Jenny Town, director of Washington, DC-based Research Program 38 North, told Al Jazeera.
This evolution was especially true due to the growing massive power competition from China, the town said.
“Some changes are likely to occur during this semester as the Trump administration focuses on how to maximize resources for US interests and priorities,” Town said.
“How dramatically or dramatically these changes will depend on a number of factors, including the state of the US domestic political infrastructure that provides checks and balances management decisions,” she said.
The US Senate Defense Policy Bill for fiscal year 2026 includes a ban on the use of funds to reduce the number of US troops.
“This is unlikely to lead to an immediate change in the number of Korean troops,” Choi said.
“So, the big point of competition is the allocation of military work to suit our interests. I think Trump may ask South Korea to play a bigger role in regional security, such as taking part in conflicts involving Taiwan.”
Financial negotiations between Trump and Lee may also lean towards security details, as the US president has regularly urged South Korea to pay more to US troops stationed in South Korea in its soil.
Trump has made the same phone call since his first presidential term.
In addition to providing more than $1 billion to the USFK forces’ presence, South Korea also paid for the construction of the largest overseas camp Humphries overseas, located 64km (39 miles) south of Seoul.
Trump said he wants defense spending to all US allies, which amounts to nearly 5% of GDP.
Today, South Korea’s defense budget is 3.5% of GDP.
The transfer of operational orders during the war – referring to the transfer of control of South Korean forces from the United States to South Korea during the war – has long been a point of debate between Seoul and Washington.
Under the Lee administration’s five-year governance plan, Seoul hopes to make the transition by 2030.
The Trumpley Conference also comes after the powerful sisters of North Korean leader Kim Jong recently rejected their desire to resume diplomacy aimed at softening the nuclear programmes of Washington and Seoul.
Kim Yeo Jung said Seoul would never become a “diplomat partner” with Pyongyang.
In town, Kim Yeo Jung’s statement had “interesting nuances.”
“While rejecting all sorts of denuclearization narratives as the basis for negotiations, her statement created an opening for the US to engage North Korea to improve overall relations,” Town said.
“Kim suggested that there is a reason for the two nuclear-weaponed countries to avoid conflict. This begs the question of whether the US is interested in building a different relationship with North Korea, which is not actually denuclearized, and how US allies will view such a topic,” Town said.
For HUFS professor Richie, the possibility of “Trump bypassing Lee in diplomacy with North Korea” poses serious risks for South Korea’s future in terms of influence and security.
In contrast to the lack of contact between Washington and Pyongyang today, Trump’s first presidential term featured a halt of US military movements with South Korea and three separate meetings between the US president and North Korean Kim.
His desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize could also provide another motivation for Trump to spread American friendship to Kim.
South Korean President’s visit to the White House coincides with the annual large-scale joint South Korean and US military exercises that last for 11 days.
During last week’s visit to North Korea’s most advanced warship, Kim denounced the training as a rehearsal of North Korea’s invasion and “an obvious expression of the will to cause war.”
It also announced last week an undocumented North Korean missile base, about 25km (15.5 miles) from the border with China, beyond the parallel project of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Research.
Town added that Russia could also play a cameo role at the summit.
“Lee may raise the question of Russia’s relations with North Korea, particularly how military cooperation poses a potential risk to the alliance’s security interests,” she said.
“We can consider whether relations with Trump (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will help alleviate the situation,” she said.
Recent dealings between North Korea and Russia add another dimension to these inter-state relations. This is because the mutual exchange of troops for the receipt of food, energy, cash, weapons and technology created a stable strategic bond between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Furthermore, North Korea has expressed interest in strengthening relations with China, the largest US rival.
“In the end, I believe Trump will continue his overture to North Korea,” Choi said.
“It may seem he’s pushing for an isolationist strategy, but the real problem is that every time there’s a major conflict in the world, the US is in the midst of negotiations and consultation,” she said.
