Trump and South Korea’s Lee Set 25 Aug Washington Summit on Trade, Security

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will hold his first in-person summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on 25 August, the two governments said on Tuesday. Lee will travel to the United States from 24 to 26 August, marking his first overseas trip since taking office in June. Officials in Seoul and Washington said the leaders will discuss ways to upgrade the U.S.–South Korea alliance amid shifting geopolitical and trade conditions. The meeting follows a July deal that lowered U.S. tariffs on South Korean exports to 15 percent; Trump has said Seoul will back the accord with roughly US$350 billion in investments to be detailed at the summit. Talks are expected to range from bolstering deterrence against North Korea to expanding cooperation in semiconductors, batteries, shipbuilding and critical minerals. Analysts expect Trump to press Lee on raising South Korea’s contribution toward the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed on the peninsula and on additional corporate investment commitments. Lee’s office said the president may stop in Japan for talks with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba around 23 August, though that schedule has not been finalised. The Washington summit will set the tone for Lee’s effort to navigate heightened trade frictions and security demands while deepening South Korea’s manufacturing and technology partnership with the United States.