Overview

• During the White House meeting, President Trump brought up the World War II-era ‘comfort women’ issue and used the term aloud while seated with President Lee Jae-myung.
• Trump characterized the matter as a problem for Korea rather than Japan, saying Tokyo wanted to move on while Seoul remained focused on it.
• Lee replied that many obstacles between the two countries have been removed following his outreach to Prime Minister Ishiba, as Trump asserted those barriers were cleared during his term.
• The term refers to women and girls forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military, and a 2015 deal included a Japanese apology and 1 billion yen for victims.
• Commentators criticized Trump’s framing and noted his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein and multiple misconduct allegations, while no new policy steps were announced.