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Trump and South Korea’s Lee Hold First White House Summit as Praise for Kim and Tariff Questions Shape Talks

A 'purge' claim plus a call to seek ownership of Osan Air Base added friction to a meeting focused on security and trade.

Overview

  • The leaders highlighted defense cooperation and industry ties under a recent tariff pact, yet implementation and investment timelines remain unsettled.
  • Trump lauded Kim Jong-un and said he expects to meet him again, as Lee urged a U.S. role as peace broker with Pyongyang.
  • Hours before the meeting, Trump posted that events in South Korea looked like a 'purge or a revolution' and warned it could affect business, then later called it a misunderstanding.
  • Seoul’s national security adviser said Washington and Seoul share Lee’s three-step denuclearization framework, even as North Korea resists talks tied to disarmament.
  • Trump floated seeking U.S. ownership of land at Osan Air Base and signaled tougher cost-sharing expectations for the 28,500 U.S. troops in South Korea.