Lee and Trump Meeting Unlikely Amid Unresolved Seoul-Washington Disputes

Why can't Lee and Trump meet?

As President Lee Jae Myung attends the United Nations General Assembly in New York, unresolved investment and security disputes are straining Seoul's ties with Washington.

President Lee Jae Myung left South Korea on Monday to attend the 81st United Nations General Assembly. Attention is focused on whether he will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump.

The presidential office said Lee would have "separate contacts in various forms" with leaders of major countries, including the United States and Australia, but no formal summit with Trump has yet been scheduled. By contrast, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is scheduled to meet Trump on Tuesday, ahead of the U.S.-China summit on Thursday.

Even if the "separate contact" mentioned by the presidential office takes place, meaningful progress appears difficult while bilateral issues remain unresolved, including negotiations over South Korean investment in the United States and Seoul's security contribution in the Strait of Hormuz. A Friday meeting between South Korean and U.S. foreign ministers produced no clear breakthrough.

A formal summit would provide an important opportunity to address these accumulated disputes directly.

It is also regrettable that Seoul has narrowed its own negotiating room when careful diplomacy is needed. Ahead of his U.S. trip, Lee said investment in the United States must be based on "commercial viability" and drew a line on Hormuz, saying there would be "no deployment of troops that involves participation or intervention in the war."

The principles of protecting the national interest and public safety are entirely reasonable. But staking out positions that the other side may view sensitively ahead of negotiations between leaders is unlikely to help. U.S. media interpretations that Lee had rejected Washington's request for troop deployment have added to the burden.

Washington, for its part, should take South Korea's security concerns seriously and respond sincerely to security cooperation Seoul has sought, including on nuclear-powered submarines. Yet it is also unrealistic for South Korea to expect a forward-leaning U.S. response on its priorities while making little progress on the investment it has promised. Alliances are strongest when both sides offer what the other needs and reduce each other's burdens.

Amid heightened international volatility, including the Iran war, U.S.-Japan and U.S.-China summits are being held around the UN General Assembly. Moreover, signs of a possible North Korea-U.S. summit after October are becoming more visible.

At such a consequential moment, poor communication between Seoul and Washington poses a serious risk to South Korea's national interests. Above all, the government must soberly examine why relations with its key ally have become so strained.

Turbulence in the South Korea-U.S. relationship will not disappear on its own. Seoul must restore effective communication and negotiating space before rapidly shifting regional diplomacy leaves South Korea struggling to shape decisions that directly affect its security and economic interests.