South Korean President Lee Jae Myung arrived in Washington for his first in-person summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, scheduled for 12:15 p.m. Eastern on Monday at the White House. The meeting marks Lee’s biggest diplomatic test since taking office in June and the first bilateral encounter between the two leaders. Discussions are expected to focus on defence burden-sharing, with U.S. officials signalling that Trump will push Seoul to increase its contribution toward the roughly 28,500 American troops stationed on the peninsula. Trade will also feature prominently after a July accord that lowered a U.S. reciprocal tariff on South Korean goods to 15%, though negotiators left several issues unresolved. Lee told reporters he aims to reach a “reasonable” overall deal with Washington. Lee said he plans to raise “the full range” of North Korea issues, including his recently unveiled three-stage plan to freeze, reduce and dismantle Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal. North Korea’s state media has denounced the summit and Lee’s earlier visit to Tokyo, warning that closer U.S.–Japan–South Korea cooperation heightens regional security risks. According to Reuters, Seoul may also seek U.S. consent to reprocess spent nuclear fuel and conduct limited uranium enrichment—activities currently barred under the bilateral civilian nuclear pact. U.S. officials have not commented publicly on whether the request will be taken up during the talks.