South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung narrowly avoided what he called a “Zelensky moment” after U.S. President Donald Trump greeted him in Washington with right-wing conspiracy theories, but the high-stakes summit went ahead anyway.
Monday’s summit, the first between the two leaders, was largely what South Korea had hoped for, despite a rocky start, officials and analysts said.
Most importantly, South Korea avoided its biggest fear: an Oval Office ambush similar to the one in February, when Trump harshly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over U.S. aid and a war with Russia.
“President Lee’s appearance with reporters in the Oval Office went better than expected,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, noting that Trump expressed support for Lee’s approach to North Korea and enthusiasm for engaging with Kim Jong Un.
Key questions remain, including exactly how much South Korea will agree to pay for the stationing of 28,500 U.S. troops, and many details are still being worked out in a hastily negotiated trade deal that has yet to be put into writing.
Still, Lee avoided any explosive confrontation that some observers feared could publicly shake the long-standing alliance, at a time when North Korea is rapidly advancing its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile development and deepening ties with Russia.
