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Lee Jae Myung of South Korea kicks off charm during Trump meeting

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Jean Mackenzie

Seoul correspondent

koh ewe

BBC News, Singapore

Watch: Trump says he wants to meet Kim Jong-eun

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s hours are about to meet with US President Donald Trump, and the social position has dropped.

“What happened in South Korea?” Trump wrote, pointing to “clearance or revolution.” It seems that this refers to Mr Lee’s attempt to remove South Korea from the martial arts crisis last December when its now-demolished President Yoon Suk Yeol attempted to orchestrate a military takeover.

But Lee opened up the charm and avoided what happened in the Oval Office, to the Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine or the Cyril Ramaphosa in South Africa.

Leaders have found a common stance on North Korea, and Trump has repeatedly mentioned Kim Jong-un, who have managed to avoid public disagreements on difficult trade and defense issues. These are three main gains.

Lee’s flattery strategy works

Lee’s team has been nervous about the meeting, and they have good reason: Trump has historically been wary of South Korea, despite being a US ally. In the past, he accused it of helping defend North Korea from the thousands of U.S. troops stationed on the peninsula. He also criticized Seoul’s defense spending and its trade surplus with the United States.

Lee is regarded as a left-wing politician and has a reputation in Washington, making Trump’s fear the worst. In the past, he was skeptical of South Korea’s military alliance with the United States and now expressed his desire to establish stronger ties with China. He has also been portrayed as “anti-American” by some American conservative commentators.

Lee’s team fears he might be tortured by Trump’s now famous Oval Office.

The truth social posts within a few hours before the meeting brought them fear. Trump’s ominous message seems to refer to the consequences of the Korean martial arts crisis last December.

This is something from South Korea’s far-right, and even some people in the United States oppose it.

It was a nightmare for South Korean officials – Mr Lee might be forced to defend himself against right-wing conspiracy theories. But when the meeting arrived, Mr. Trump raised the question, just to quickly remove it because of possible misunderstandings.

Lee’s flattery strategy is obviously effective. He first marveled at the new “bright and beautiful” appearance of the Oval Office, and then praised the personal rapport of the U.S. president with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, asking him to help achieve peace between the North and the South.

“The only person who can make progress is Mr. President,” said Mr. Lee. “If you become a peacemaker, then I will help you with pacemakers.”

Lee even joked about building the Trump Tower in North Korea and playing golf there.

Getty Images Lee Jae Myung and Trump sat side by side in the yellow armchair in the Oval Office. They were wearing dark suits with red tie. They look and smile in the same direction.Getty Images

Seoul has fears Lee Jae Myung could be ambushed before meeting with Trump

If that seems a bit annoying, it is South Korea’s strategy at this high-stakes conference, aiming to cover trade, the role of the U.S. military in South Korea, and Seoul’s spending on defense.

Lee’s team’s first goal was to make sure that he left Trump’s side and left the Oval Office in the moment of avoiding Zelensky, and they succeeded.

Getty Images stand on a road in the United Security Zone, where Trump gestures with his hands while speaking, wearing a navy suit and a red tie. Next to him was Kim Jong-un, wearing a black button suit, with his hands solemn beside him.Getty Images

Trump met Kim Sandu in his first term and often proposed a dictator

Kim Jong-un Loom

It may seem strange to see President Trump sit next to South Korean leaders, talking about his progress with South-swearing enemy Kim Jong-un during their first meeting and the extent to which he expects to meet him again.

But this is actually one of the few common foundations these two leaders have.

South Korea’s relatively new president, Lee Jae Myung, is taking a new approach to North Korea, and its predecessor is accused of confronting Kim Jong Un.

In fact, Lee initiated a conversation about Kim Jong-un, who praised President Trump for the personal rapport with the North Korean leader and asked him to serve as a “peacemaker” on the Korean Peninsula.

Lee wanted to talk to Kim to build a peaceful relationship between the North and the South, but he knew Trump had a better chance of achieving that than he did.

Trump met King three times during his first term, and he often proposed dictators. He famously said the two “fall in love” while exchanging letters, but they failed to reach a deal to limit North Korea’s nuclear program.

“I spent a lot of free time with him and talked about things we probably shouldn’t have talked about,” Trump said on Monday. “I’m really happy. I look forward to meeting Kim Jong-un in the right future.”

The question is whether Kim Jong-un wants to talk to Trump or Lee.

North Korea has repeatedly rejected Lee’s conversation efforts, ignoring the U.S. attempt to restart the dialogue. It did not close the door to talking to Trump, but suggested it must be different from before, because under no circumstances will it give up its nuclear weapons.

Now, this is something that Seoul and Washington have to try to navigate.

Trade, national defense issues have largely not been resolved

The main purpose of Lee White’s visit was to discuss the recent bilateral trade agreement and the role of the U.S. military in South Korea, but both leaders managed to avoid being attracted by the details of these controversial issues during the Oval Office.

U.S. tariffs on South Korean goods negotiated by Seoul were reduced to 15% after Trump threatened interest rates up to 25%. This is in agreement to invest $355 billion (£264.1 billion) in the United States – $150 billion will go to the expenses of helping the United States build ships.

At a time when U.S. shipbuilding and its navy were declining, South Korea’s shipbuilding industry flourished, building more ships than any other country outside China. A few hours after the Lee White House meeting, Korea Airlines Announced to purchase 103 Boeing aircraft.

Details of trade agreements and key points, including what happened to the profits of these investments, are being formulated by officials behind the scenes.

Trump told reporters after the meeting that “I think we have completed a deal” without providing more details. “They had some problems with this, but we stuck to the guns,” he said.

Trump told reporters in front of Lee that “the United States and South Korea need to trade with each other.” “We love their work, we love their products, we love their boats, we love a lot of things they do,” he said. Meanwhile, South Korea needs oil and gas, and the United States will trade with them, he added.

In the Oval Office, Trump also evaded a question about withdrawing U.S. troops from South Korea – the White House was reportedly playing. He has accused South Korea of ​​using the US defense capabilities and using US protection in the past.

Also on Monday, Trump proposed the idea of ​​allowing the U.S. to own the Orson Air Force Base in southern Seoul, jointly operated by the United States and South Korea.

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