The Korea Times

Lee advised to brace for Trump's unpredictability at White House summit

A summit with U.S. President Donald Trump can be tense, not only because of complex policy negotiations but also due to his unpredictable style of diplomacy. Foreign leaders arriving at the White House often find themselves unsettled, as Trump’s unscripted remarks can produce awkward, sometimes jarring, moments. President Lee Jae Myung may be bracing for a similar situation when he travels to Washington for his first summit with Trump next Monday (local time). For Lee, the stakes could hardly be higher. His government is trying to steer through an unsettled security order in Asia, where North Korea’s belligerence, China’s growing assertiveness and Washington’s wavering commitments have unsettled allies. How he manages the mercurial Trump will be seen as a measure of Seoul’s ability to safeguard its most vital partnership — the alliance with the United States. Analysts caution that Lee, a former provincial governor and lawmaker with limited diplomatic experience, will need to remain composed if Trump makes volatile remarks or misstates facts about Korea. "The best approach for L

Aug 21, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin

Lee advised to brace for Trump's unpredictability at White House summit

Foreign Affairs

Wartime OPCON transfer seen as key leverage for S. Korea at Lee-Trump summit

The transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) of the military from Washington to Seoul could become a key bargaining chip for President Lee Jae Myung during his upcoming summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, diplomatic observers say. Their advice comes as the two leaders are scheduled to hold their first meeting in Washington next Monday (local time), a summit that could reshape the security architecture of the decades-old alliance. Seoul has been under pressure from the Trump administration to shoulder a larger share of the defense burden, which could mean boosting its defense spending in addition to increasing its financial contributions for the stationing of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK). The role of these American troops, particularly if their mission will be expanded to countering China, is also expected to be near the top of the agenda. As Korea considers how to counter Trump's costly demands and decide what leverage it can bring to the table, experts said that accelerating the OPCON transfer is a potentially useful approach for Lee, who has pledged to complete the OPCON trans

Aug 19, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin

Wartime OPCON transfer seen as key leverage for S. Korea at Lee-Trump summit

Foreign Affairs

Trump's indifference on NK-Russia military partnership unnerves South Korea

South Korea may have to brace for the possibility of U.S. President Donald Trump downplaying North Korea's troop deployment to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine, analysts warned Monday, as the U.S. leader courts closer ties with Moscow amid efforts to broker a peace deal to end the Ukraine war. Analysts say Seoul should engage in careful diplomatic maneuvering at next week's summit between President Lee Jae Myung and Trump to secure U.S. assurances of a coordinated response to North Korea's military cooperation with Russia, which may outlast the ongoing war. Lee is scheduled to have his first summit with Trump on Aug. 25, and security issues are expected to take center stage. Following his rare summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday (local time), Trump signaled support for a peace framework that could allow Russia to consolidate its territorial gains in Ukraine. In doing so, he sidestepped Putin's accountability for war crimes, effectively restoring the Russian president's diplomatic standing on the international stage after years of isolation. Analysts warn

Aug 18, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin

Trump's indifference on NK-Russia military partnership unnerves South Korea

Politics

Ex-presidential couple’s arrest leaves 11 pets in aides’ care

With former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee behind bars, their 11 pets — six dogs and five cats — left behind at their residence are being cared for by close aides. According to local reports, several close aides who previously assisted Kim at her art exhibition company, Kobana Contents, and former presidential office staffers are now visiting the couple’s residence regularly to tend to the pets. But the fate of these animals remains uncertain, as this arrangement may not last. Some of the aides are under investigation in connection with the ongoing special probe into Yoon and Kim, while the couple's own legal future remains unclear. Known for their love of animals, the couple had pets even before Yoon's presidency and adopted several more during his term. All 11 were moved to their private residence in southern Seoul after Yoon was impeached in April. After the former president was arrested in July on insurrection charges, Kim had been taking care of the animals. But her own Aug. 12 arrest on corruption charges left the pets without either owner. Some have suggeste

Aug 17, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin

Ex-presidential couple’s arrest leaves 11 pets in aides’ care

Foreign Affairs

South Korean FM sees Trump's leadership as key to resolving North Korea stalemate

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump could play a critical role in achieving a breakthrough in the ongoing stalemate with North Korea. His remarks come as the Lee Jae Myung administration, amid its pursuit of rapprochement with the North, carefully observes the possibility that Washington may reengage with Pyongyang. "When I visited the United States and met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House aides, I said that President Trump's leadership would be essential to achieving a new breakthrough in the current situation, and that I hoped for such a development. I believe the U.S. side received my remarks quite positively," Cho said during a press conference in Seoul, when asked about potential U.S.-North Korea talks. The North recently recognized that the relationship between its leader, Kim Jong-un, and Trump is "not bad," although it added the relationship would not be reflected in its U.S. policy. The two sides held three meetings, including two summits, during Trump's first term. The foreign minister noted that restarting talks with Nort

Aug 14, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin

South Korean FM sees Trump's leadership as key to resolving North Korea stalemate

Foreign Affairs

80th Liberation Day Korea, Japan still struggle to reconcile historical grievances despite promise for shared future

On Aug. 15, 1945, Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule following Japan's surrender that ended World War II. The date, now celebrated as Gwangbokjeol, meaning "the return of light," marks the restoration of national sovereignty for Koreans after 35 years of occupation. Eighty years later, Liberation Day still highlights challenges faced by Korea and Japan in dealing with their dark history. While this year also marks 60 years since the two nations normalized diplomatic relations, the milestone is somewhat shadowed by repeated historical disputes that continue to complicate ties. Many analysts look back to 1998 as a rare high point in Seoul-Tokyo bilateral relations. In October that year, then-President Kim Dae-jung and then-Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi issued a joint declaration in which Obuchi expressed "deep remorse" and offered a sincere apology for the injustices of Japan's colonial rule. "It was the first official apology from the Japanese government. After that, Korea and Japan began to truly recognize each other as partners in global diplomacy," Yang Ki-ho, a pro

Aug 14, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin

[80th Liberation Day] Korea, Japan still struggle to reconcile historical grievances despite promise for shared future

Politics

Lee administration aims to reshape power structure through constitutional reform

The Lee Jae Myung administration will pursue a constitutional amendment during its five-year term to better embody the principle of popular sovereignty, the State Affairs Planning Committee announced Wednesday. The government also aims to significantly reduce the influence of prosecutors and police, restructure the military to guarantee political neutrality and ensure media independence — key elements of an ambitious reform agenda designed to fundamentally transform the nation’s power dynamics. The measures were detailed in the committee’s final report, released Wednesday. Chaired by Lee Han-joo, the committee was established with a 60-day mandate to draft key policies for the new administration. It was formed after Lee took office immediately following his victory in the June 3 snap presidential election, without the usual two-month transition period. Constitutional reform, which was one of the centerpieces of Lee's campaign, was identified by the committee as the top priority in the governance sector. Korea's current Constitution, last amended in 1987 in the wake of the pro-democ

Aug 13, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin

Lee administration aims to reshape power structure through constitutional reform

North Korea

South Korea mulls skipping annual report on human rights abuses in North Korea

The South Korean government is considering withholding its annual report on human rights violations in North Korea, a move that comes amid President Lee Jae Myung's push for rapprochement with Pyongyang and, if confirmed, would mark the first such omission since the publication began in 2018. The Ministry of Unification said Tuesday it is "reviewing various options" in its response to local media reports that the report would not be issued this year. "We are also taking into account the fact that there hasn’t been much newly collected testimony from North Korean defectors since last year’s publication," a senior ministry official told reporters in a closed-door briefing. According to the official, around 200 defectors have arrived in the South in recent years, but most of them had spent more than a decade in a third country before resettling here. Fewer than 10 came directly from the North, making it difficult to obtain fresh, meaningful accounts of their homeland for the report. The official noted that issuing the publication annually is not mandated under law. But he declined to co

Aug 12, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin

South Korea mulls skipping annual report on human rights abuses in North Korea

Defense

USFK commander stresses expanded role for US troops in Korea against broader regional threats

PYEONGTAEK, Gyeonggi Province — U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson on Friday stressed the "strategic flexibility" of his troops in response to an increasingly complex security environment in Northeast Asia, amid rising speculation that USFK's mission could expand beyond deterring North Korea. In his first press conference with local reporters since taking command in December 2024, Brunson called modernizing the South Korea-U.S. military alliance essential to keeping it "ready, relevant and able" to respond to evolving threats in the region. "What’s being asked of Korea is to be stronger against the DPRK, that we might have the flexibility as we modernize our alliance so that we could go do other things," Brunson said during the hour-long briefing at the USFK headquarters in U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name. He likened the concept of strategic flexibility to redeploying a U.S. Patriot missile battery from South Korea to the Middle East. In April, th

Aug 10, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin

USFK commander stresses expanded role for US troops in Korea against broader regional threats

Foreign Affairs

S. Korea faces mounting defense pressure ahead of Lee-Trump summit

As preparations are underway for a summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump, Seoul is facing increasing pressure from Washington on security issues. The upcoming summit — the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders — is expected to become a key diplomatic challenge for the Lee administration as it grapples to meet the Trump administration's costly demands for maintaining the alliance, including calls to take on a bigger role in countering China. A senior Pentagon official recently praised South Korea as a "role model" for its increased defense spending and willingness to lead efforts against threats from North Korea. Elbridge Colby, undersecretary of defense for policy, made the remarks on July 31 in a social media post following a phone call between South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. "South Korea continues to be a role model in its willingness to take more of the lead in a strong defense against the DPRK and in its spending on defense," Colby wrote on X, formerly Twitter. DPRK stands for the Dem

Aug 6, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin

Lee Hyo-jin

Read more

Lee advised to brace for Trump's unpredictability at White House summit

Wartime OPCON transfer seen as key leverage for S. Korea at Lee-Trump summit

Trump's indifference on NK-Russia military partnership unnerves South Korea

Ex-presidential couple’s arrest leaves 11 pets in aides’ care

South Korean FM sees Trump's leadership as key to resolving North Korea stalemate

80th Liberation Day Korea, Japan still struggle to reconcile historical grievances despite promise for shared future

Lee administration aims to reshape power structure through constitutional reform

South Korea mulls skipping annual report on human rights abuses in North Korea

USFK commander stresses expanded role for US troops in Korea against broader regional threats

S. Korea faces mounting defense pressure ahead of Lee-Trump summit

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