In brief
In a carefully managed meeting, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office amidst tensions regarding South Korea's domestic issues. Despite Trump's critical pre-meeting remarks on social media, Lee managed to steer the conversation towards a positive note, emphasizing cooperation and rapport with North Korea. His charm offensive included light-hearted remarks, averting a potentially awkward situation reminiscent of other international leaders' visits. The meeting ended on a hopeful note, focusing on US-South Korea relations and trade.
Hours before South Korean president Lee Jae Mung was due to meet US president Donald Trump, a Truth Social post dropped. Beginning with 'WHAT IS GOING ON IN SOUTH KOREA?' the post then referred to a 'Purge or Revolution' - which many read as a reference to the prosecution of former president Yoon Suk Yeol who unsuccessfully attempted to impose martial law last December.
Speaking in the Oval Office before the meeting, Trump also said Seoul had conducted 'raids on churches' and done 'very bad things.'
But Lee, a seasoned politician, successfully turned on the charm and averted what officials were fearing - a repeat of what happened to Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky or South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa.
Lee marveled at the new Oval Office decor and praised the personal rapport that the US president has with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He joked about building a Trump Tower in North Korea, saying he hoped to play golf there one day. Supporters of Lee's Democratic Party believe South Korea must achieve unification with the North through peace and dialogue. Trump indicated a willingness to meet with Kim in the future.
As the public meeting neared an end, it appeared that Lee's flattery had helped him avoid a Zelensky moment - the Ukrainian president's White House visit in February devolved into an angry spat. Later, when asked about his earlier comments regarding church raids, Trump remarked that it likely stemmed from misunderstanding.
