South Korea, U.S. set late July summit date

South Korea and the United States are coordinating a summit between President Lee Jae-myung and U.S. President Donald Trump, with the week of July 21 emerging as the most likely timeframe. Working-level talks on key issues such as tariffs and increased defense cost sharing are expected to speed up ahead of the meeting.

Ruling party officials confirmed the summit is scheduled for the week of July 21. A senior diplomatic source said, “Preparations are underway for a Korea-U.S. summit to take place that week in the United States.” A South Korean government official added, “While the schedule is still being coordinated, there is a shared intention to hold the meeting before the end of July.”

Both sides agree on the urgency of a face-to-face meeting between the two presidents. U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio is expected to officially invite President Lee during his visit to South Korea around the time of the ASEAN Regional Forum ministerial meeting in Malaysia, which begins July 10. Ahead of this, U.S. Ambassador to South Korea ad interim Joseph Yun said, “I expect a summit to take place soon, with President Lee being invited to Washington.”

Originally, the summit was considered for either the G7 Summit on July 17 or the NATO Summit on July 24. However, plans were postponed due to President Trump’s early return to the U.S. and rising tensions in the Middle East.

If finalized, key agenda items will likely include U.S. tariffs on South Korea and Seoul’s increased defense cost contributions. Yeo Han-koo, South Korea’s chief trade negotiator, currently in Washington for trade talks, said June 27, “The new administration considers Korea-U.S. negotiations a top priority. We made it clear to the U.S. side that we are fully prepared to accelerate the negotiation process.”


Hoon-Sang Park tigermask@donga.com