Trump Lee Meet at White House
Trump, Lee Jae Myung Meet at White House Amid Tensions Over Raids in South Korea
WASHINGTON – Hours before South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s first official visit to the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump sparked controversy online, describing recent raids in South Korea as a “Purge or Revolution,” apparently in reference to operations involving churches.
However, during their Oval Office meeting, Trump downplayed his own remarks, calling them a “misunderstanding” based on circulating rumors.
Despite the tense start, both leaders struck a conciliatory tone on North Korea. Lee, a progressive who favors diplomacy over confrontation, expressed support for dialogue, while Trump reaffirmed his personal rapport with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whom he met three times during his first term.
“Someday I’ll see him. I look forward to seeing him. He was very good with me,” Trump told reporters, adding that he hoped talks would resume later this year. He also claimed that North Korea has launched fewer missiles since his return to the White House in January.
Trump has repeatedly boasted of ending “seven wars” since resuming office, though critics dispute that claim. Still, he has largely avoided addressing North Korea publicly until now, even as Pyongyang deepened its ties with Russia during the Ukraine war and continued rejecting negotiations on its nuclear weapons program.
During the meeting, President Lee praised Trump’s foreign policy, even suggesting that future diplomacy could lead to symbolic gestures such as a “Trump Tower” in Pyongyang or a golf match in North Korea.
Lee, elected in June after the impeachment of his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, has positioned himself as a critic of U.S. military dominance in the region but sought to flatter Trump by calling him a “maker of peace.”
Trump, however, pressed South Korea on military costs, reiterating demands for greater financial contributions to support the 28,500 American troops stationed there. He even floated the idea of the U.S. taking ownership of military base land — a proposal likely to stir controversy in Seoul.
In a rare move, Trump also touched on the sensitive issue of South Korea’s “comfort women,” who were forced into sexual slavery during Japan’s colonial rule. While Japan has issued compensation deals in the past, many survivors remain dissatisfied, questioning Tokyo’s sincerity.
Lee’s stop in Tokyo before arriving in Washington — a symbolic gesture given his political leanings — was welcomed by Trump as a sign of warming regional ties.
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