South Korea’s Lee Resists U.S. Plan to Expand USFK Role Before Trump Summit

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Washington’s request for greater “strategic flexibility” for the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea is “not an issue we can easily agree with,” signaling resistance to allowing the troops to take on a broader role aimed at countering China. Speaking to reporters aboard his flight to Washington for his first summit with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, Lee added that a “future-oriented strategic transformation” of the alliance remains necessary and will form part of the agenda, which also includes defense cost-sharing and trade. Lee said tariff and investment commitments announced earlier this year—including Seoul’s $350 billion pledge that helped lower U.S. duties on South Korean goods to 15%—should not be reopened, although he acknowledged U.S. officials continue to seek wider access to South Korea’s farm and livestock markets.