Lee-Trump summit faces high-stakes challenges

Korean President Lee Jae-myung and U.S. President Donald Trump will hold their first summit early on Aug. 26 Korea time in Washington, D.C. Ahead of the meeting, South Korea’s foreign minister, trade minister, and chief trade negotiator rushed to the U.S., and all three senior aides from the presidential office, including the national security chief, policy chief, and chief of staff, were also sent.

Officials devoted themselves to finalizing protocol and coordinating the agenda until the last minute. Still, sources inside and outside the government said, “Nothing can be guaranteed until the summit concludes. This is a first-of-its-kind meeting.”

Summits are usually a formalization of agreements coordinated by working-level officials, which is why it is often said, “There is no such thing as a failed summit.” But the meeting with President Trump is different. Everything could change on the spot, depending on Trump’s impulses and whims. He does not hesitate to publicly rebuke anyone and often changes agreed-upon directions or figures on the spot. He even seems to enjoy this kind of unpredictable uncertainty.

Even Trump’s cabinet members appear to compete with one another, presenting new conditions to continue negotiations. Ahead of this summit, the U.S. pressed fresh demands, including expanded South Korean investment in the United States and further opening of its agricultural and livestock markets, despite the Korea-U.S. tariff agreement reached late last month. The U.S. is also expected to impose tariffs on specific items such as automobiles and semiconductors, continuing new rounds of negotiations. Bloomberg described this cycle as the “era of forever negotiations,” in which constant bargaining becomes the new normal.

Onboard the plane to Washington, President Lee told reporters that finalizing outstanding issues remained difficult, acknowledging, “It is certainly going to be a very challenging summit.” On U.S. demands for additional openings of the rice and beef markets, Lee drew a line, saying, “The terms have already been set through a major agreement and cannot be easily overturned.” He also described requests for greater strategic flexibility of U.S. forces in Korea as “a matter we cannot easily agree to.”

Even among allies, disagreements and friction are inevitable. In past Korea-U.S. summits, there have been numerous instances of harsh exchanges behind the scenes, even if they were not made public. Nonetheless, conflicts and rifts are resolved through close communication and coordination, which is the essence of an alliance.

This is not just a Korea-U.S. alliance issue. With Trump entering a second term, it is fair to say that the global alliance order is undergoing a realignment. The two leaders are meeting face-to-face for the first time and will have to navigate the next three and a half years of turbulent relations together.