By SEOUL, Aug 12 (AfrikTimes) – South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump will hold their first summit meeting on August 25 in Washington to discuss strengthening the bilateral alliance and economic security partnership, Lee’s office announced Tuesday.
Lee, elected in a snap election in June, has prioritized helping his export-dependent country navigate the dramatic shifts in the global trading environment triggered by Trump’s tariff policies. “The two leaders will discuss ways to develop the U.S.-South Korea alliance into a comprehensive strategic partnership for the future in response to the changing international security and economic environment,” presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said at a briefing.
Building on the tariff deal reached last month, the leaders are expected to advance cooperation in manufacturing sectors, including semiconductors, batteries, and shipbuilding, as well as critical minerals and technology, Kang added.
On July 30, Trump announced a trade deal that will impose a 15% import duty on South Korean goods, reducing the tariff he had initially threatened against one of America’s top trading partners. In return, Trump said South Korea would unveil investment plans at the summit, with Seoul committing to $350 billion in investments “selected” by him.
However, South Korean officials have provided varying details, and unresolved issues from the deal—which has yet to be formally documented—leave room for further disputes.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, left, shakes hands with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the State Department in Washington on Thursday.
Experts expect Trump to use the summit to seek additional concessions on defense costs and corporate investments, which were excluded from the deal, while non-tariff barriers and currency matters could also become contentious.
Defense spending is anticipated to be a key topic. Trump has repeatedly called for South Korea to increase its share of the costs associated with the roughly 28,500 U.S. troops stationed there, a legacy of the 1950–1953 Korean War.
The Washington Post reported Saturday that the Trump administration wants Seoul to raise its defense spending to 3.8% of GDP from 2.6% last year and increase its contribution of over $1 billion toward troop support.
Jeremy Chan, senior analyst at the Eurasia Group, said it was uncertain if Trump would directly raise these issues during the summit, but he expected discussions at the working level to extend beyond trade and investment to broader alliance matters.
“I think it is more likely that Trump and his team will quietly raise issues related to the security alliance,” Chan said. “That could put pressure on President Lee to increase the defense share of government spending.”
