President Lee Jae Myung is steering South Korea through a difficult diplomatic balancing act, having hosted both U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the same week, all while trying to find a path to dialogue with North Korea.
After securing a trade and investment deal with Trump, Lee hosted Xi for a summit in Gyeongju. His primary request was for China’s help in advancing his “phased approach” to denuclearisation with the North.
This strategy was immediately rejected by North Korea, which called it a “pipe dream” and restated its view of the South as its “main enemy.”
The summit with Xi highlighted the delicate position of Seoul, a U.S. military ally heavily reliant on trade with China. Lee had to raise issues like the U.S. THAAD missile system, which led to Chinese economic retaliation, and Chinese sanctions on a U.S.-linked South Korean firm.
Xi, for his part, called South Korea an “inseparable partner” and signed seven economic pacts. However, Chinese state media avoided any mention of the North Korea issue, focusing instead on mutual respect and economic cooperation.
