South Korea’s Lee faces policy test as he courts Japan and eyes balance with China, US

South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung is embarking on his first overseas trip for bilateral diplomacy, with stops in both Washington, DC and Tokyo. However, unlike his predecessor, Lee didn’t visit the United States first; instead, he chose Japan for his first overseas trip, the same country that colonised South Korea decades ago.

While the South Korean president’s visit to Japan reflected the rebuilding of ties between the two nations, Lee’s upcoming visit to Washington, DC, was also at the centre of attention. With the return of US President Donald Trump to the White House, both Japan and South Korea are navigating a volatile relationship with Washington.

Trump has imposed tariffs, demanded greater defence spending, and pushed both nations to pay more for hosting US troops. In the midst of this, the Lee administration is also seeking to normalise relations with China, which have been strained in recent years. Here’s how Lee will be navigating the three nations.

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Rebuilding ties with Japan

After his bilateral talks with the Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Japan and South Korea issued their first joint statement in 17 years. Both nations pledged to foster deeper cooperation on AI, trade, and denuclearising the Korean Peninsula. They went on to announce plans to launch a joint task force to tackle shared challenges.

Lee’s visit was significant not because of the agreements and MoUs that were signed, but because of the change in approach of Lee from his predecessor. “This is our second meeting, and I feel as if we are close friends,” South Korea’s Lee said about his Japanese counterpart.

This marked a significant shift from animosity to friendliness between the two nations. It is pertinent to note that Japan’s occupation of Korea lasted for over three decades, and since then, it has been a dark shadow over the ties between the two countries. In 2023, it was Lee himself who criticised South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for attending a landmark summit with Japan, calling him a “puppet” of Tokyo.

However, since taking office two months ago, Lee has taken a pragmatic stance on the matter. On August 15 — South Korea’s Liberation Day from Japanese rule — Lee referred to Japan as “an indispensable partner” for economic growth. Hence, the ties between the two nations are expected to foster.

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The meeting with Trump

Part of the reason why South Korea is mending ties with Japan is US President Donald Trump’s turbulent policies. This will be the first time Lee has visited the country after getting elected. Ahead of his visit, the South Korean President pushed back against US pressure to refocus his country’s 71-year-old military alliance away from the US.

“This is not an issue we can easily agree with,” Lee Jae-myung told reporters during his flight to Washington, DC, hinting at the challenges waiting for him at the White House.

It is pertinent to note that the US has had some 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea for about two decades. It was maintained that these troops would provide “strategic flexibility” to deploy them to meet security challenges away from the Korean Peninsula.

Meanwhile, South Korea has previously sent soldiers to assist the US in Vietnam and Iraq. However, since it considers North Korea, not China, as its main threat, it does not want to get dragged into a conflict with China, since tensions are high over the Taiwan issue.

Apart from this, Lee will also be looking at signing a trade deal with the United States. His first challenge in hand would be turning a verbal agreement and loose framework, agreed upon last month, into a full-fledged trade deal with the US.

In a bid to lower the US tariffs on South Korean exports from 25 to 15 per cent, Seoul has pledged to invest $350 billion in the US. The US has maintained that Trump would ultimately pick the investments. Meanwhile, South Korea’s industry minister has said that the claim “does not make sense.” Hence, just like other world leaders, Lee would also have the pressure to please the POTUS.

Balancing China

Apart from this, South Korea hopes to normalise relations with China, which have been strained significantly in recent years. On Sunday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met the South Korean envoy and agreed to boost economic cooperation between the two nations.

Lee has sent a special delegation led by former parliament speaker Park Byeong-seug to his country’s main trading partner as he travels to Washington to meet US President Donald Trump. During a meeting, Park told Wang he hoped the countries would work together to “open the door to normalising South Korea-China relations, which have been strained in recent years,” according to his comments relayed by South Korean TV.

Park also handed the Chinese foreign minister a letter from Lee to Chinese President Xi Jinping and invited Xi to the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) grouping in October. “(South Korea’s) new government will pursue a mature development of South Korea-China strategic cooperation partnership based on national interest while continuing to develop the South Korea-U.S. alliance,” Park said.

With Trump’s turbulent policies looming over its head, South Korea is also eying a rebuild of ties with China. Hence, it will be interesting to see how the US would react to the budding closeness.