LEE'S 1ST YEAR IN OFFICE President steers through diplomatic headwinds with pragmatic approach

President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands prior to their summit at Gyeongju National Museum on the occasion of the APEC summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Oct. 29, 2025. Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae

Since taking office about a year ago, President Lee Jae Myung has been navigating diplomatic headwinds with a pragmatic approach, which analysts say has served South Korea well in flexibly maintaining relations across Northeast Asia and beyond.

The defining feature of Lee's foreign policy is what he calls "pragmatic diplomacy prioritizing national interests." He has pursued self-reliance over ideological alignment, guiding Seoul in a balancing act at a time of intensifying rivalry between Washington and Beijing, as security and economic issues became increasingly intertwined.

Lee courted U.S. President Donald Trump through alliance-reassuring investments as Trump retreated from global leadership under his “America First” policy, while working with Chinese President Xi Jinping to fully restore bilateral ties after years of diplomatic unease, dating back to the 2017 deployment of a U.S. missile shield in South Korea.

“I think that President Lee's pragmatic approach has been quite successful … With the U.S. and other Western powers making ideology secondary to national interest in their foreign policy, which China has also been doing for decades, it makes sense for South Korea to follow a similar approach,” Ramon Pacheco Pardo, a professor of international relations at King's College London, said.

Joseph DeTrani, former U.S. special envoy for six-party talks involving North Korea, assessed that Lee “managed both these important relationships well,” pointing to the U.S. as South Korea’s closest ally and China as its largest trading partner.

Daniel Sneider, a Stanford University scholar specializing in U.S. foreign policy and security issues in Asia, said that Lee “has managed to navigate the twin challenges of China’s economic and strategic assertiveness and the uncertainties created by Trump’s assault on the postwar alliance system and the free trade order.”

Sneider went on to say the agreement on U.S. tariffs was “probably the best outcome possible at the moment” and also that “Korea smartly used the issue to bargain for concessions that are more crucial to its national interests.”

President Lee Jae Myung takes a selfie with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their summit in Beijing, Jan. 5, using a Xiaomi smartphone gifted by Xi during their previous meeting on the sidelines of the South Korea-hosted APEC summit in 2025. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seog

During a meeting between Lee and Trump on the occasion of the South Korea-hosted APEC summit in October 2025, South Korea announced a $350 billion investment plan in the U.S. for advanced industries and naval shipbuilding, in return for Washington lowering tariffs on Korean goods from 25 percent to 15 percent. Seoul also capitalized on the talks to pursue a long-sought revision of civil nuclear cooperation that would open the door to constructing nuclear-powered submarines.

Some experts, however, flagged areas of friction, ranging from the timing of the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) to regulatory issues surrounding e-commerce giant Coupang, which is headquartered in the U.S. but mainly operates in South Korea.

“The Seoul-Washington relations got off to a good start under the Lee administration, but discord thereafter continued to surface,” Park Won-gon, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University, said.

The APEC summit proved an opportunity for Lee to improve the relationship with China, which had been strained since the deployment of a U.S. missile shield in South Korea, resulting in Xi becoming the first Chinese leader to visit the country in 11 years.

Choo Jae-woo, a professor at Kyung Hee University’s Department of Chinese Studies, noted that Lee “made good use of the APEC summit to restore ties with China.”

Lee made a reciprocal visit to Beijing in January, during which Xi hinted at gradually lifting restrictions on Korean cultural exports.

“The South Korean government can place greater significance on the back-to-back summits to lay the groundwork to restore Seoul-Beijing relations, which had been strained for some time,” Choo said.

President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi make a joint statement after their summit in Lee's hometown of Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, May 19. Yonhap

Japan, North Korea, Russia

Concerning relations with Japan, liberal-minded Lee repeatedly held one-on-one meetings with Japan’s conservative Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, defying expectations based on past cases when the two neighbors were at odds, particularly over Japan’s wartime past.

In their latest summit on May 19 in Lee's hometown of Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, the two leaders agreed to cooperate on energy security, including a swap arrangement on crude oil.

“The president certainly achieved stable management of Seoul-Tokyo relations despite challenging circumstances,” Shin Beom-chul, a senior research fellow at Sejong Institute, said.

The Ewha Womans University professor voiced a similar view.

“Contrary to initial expectations, the continuation of shuttle diplomacy between the two leaders has been particularly notable,” Park said, referring to the frequent reciprocal visits exchanged by the leaders.

“Keeping such a form of diplomacy is highly encouraging because it provides a framework for coping with challenges,” he added.

North Korean issues drew mixed assessments, as experts were divided over whether Lee made any progress during his first year in office.

DeTrani said South Korea “has pursued a policy of peaceful coexistence, while enhancing its strategic relationship with the U.S. and Japan.”

Park was more critical, saying, “I would give the harshest assessment to Seoul’s diplomacy in Northeast Asia when it comes to inter-Korean relations.”

The professor pointed out that North Korea has doubled down on its "two hostile states" framing while removing references to reunification, leaving little room for engagement.

“The government has been overly conciliatory toward North Korea, and it seems to hold something of an illusion about the situation. It still interprets developments in an overly self-serving way,” he said.

Experts said South Korea’s alignment with the West concerning the war in Ukraine and North Korea’s involvement in the conflict lead to little progress in relations with Russia.

“Because of the war in Ukraine, if we were to circumvent sanctions and engage in trade with Russia, it could deal a serious blow to our economy,” the Sejong Institute scholar said.

Park said, “With North Korea having deployed troops, it is virtually impossible for South Korea to seek or pursue improved relations with Russia ... As a result, South Korea-Russia relations are bound to remain limited for the time being.”