G7 Summit: Is South Korea Being Passed Over?
On June 16, Seoul officials were caught off guard when they learned, via a breaking news report, that President Donald Trump would be leaving the summit a day early. The announcement came despite a planned meeting between Trump and South Korea's newly elected president, Lee Jae-myung, on the sidelines of the international forum.
That South Korean side was not informed in advance through official channels has raised eyebrows. It is irregular for a foreign leader to abruptly cancel a meeting without prior consultation, and even more so for the other party to learn of it through the media.
Seoul had anticipated holding the bilateral talks on June 17. While Trump's early departure, reportedly due to escalating Israel-Iran tensions, may appear understandable, it's reigniting a deeper anxiety in South Korea: the specter of Korea Passing.
The term describes a tendency of major powers to discuss geopolitical matters surrounding the Korean Peninsula while excluding the South from the discourse.
Strain in Seoul-Washington relations appeared almost immediately after Lee was inaugurated on June 4.
His first phone call with Trump was delayed by three days and passed without any formal statement from the White House.
By contrast, Lee's predecessor, Yoon Suk-yeol, received a congratulatory call from Washington on the day of his election victory. Lee Jae-myung is sworn in as South Korea's president and delivers his inaugural speech on June 4. (©Lee Jae-myung/Facebook)
As the Trump administration remains preoccupied with escalating global crises, the lack of coordination with its treaty ally signals more than a mere oversight. For some in South Korea, it reflects a growing misalignment between the two capitals.
That misalignment may partly stem from unease in Washington over Lee's approach to China. Within days of his electoral win, American policy analysts cautioned that the new South Korean leader could veer away from the traditional alliance.
At a Washington Times Foundation forum in June, Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific security chair at the Hudson Institute, said: "If you're going to be closely allied with the United States on security, you're going to be alienating North Korea, China, and Russia."
"How Lee Jae-myung's government manages that relationship," he continued, "is going to be crucial for the future of US interests, the future of the Korean Peninsula, and the future of the Korean people." Lee, then head of the Democratic Party, meets with Chinese Ambassador Xing Haiming in June 2023. The meeting drew criticism over what some viewed as Lee's excessive deference to Beijing. (©National Assembly Press Team)
Such concerns are not without basis. During a campaign rally in March 2024, Lee appeared to downplay frictions in the Taiwan Strait, remarking, "Why are you picking on China? Just say xie xie [to China] and xie xie to Taiwan, too."
The phrase xie xie, meaning "thank you" in Chinese, was widely interpreted as a rhetorical gesture suggesting that South Korea should remain neutral in the cross-Strait conflict. Lee framed the issue as having no relevance to his country's national interests, saying that Seoul should avoid entanglement altogether.
Although Lee has been a vocal critic of former President Yoon's perceived deference to Tokyo, he now faces similar criticism for his apparent pro-Beijing proclivities.
The collapse of the Lee-Trump talks marked a diplomatic setback for Lee's administration. This is especially true given that his invitation to the G7 came just days after taking office, with many on his team hoping for a successful diplomatic debut.
Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba met with Trump on Monday in Canada to discuss a range of pressing issues, including tariffs.
The new South Korean president did regain some footing on Tuesday during a 30-minute meeting with Ishiba, where the two agreed to maintain active dialogue and pursue robust bilateral ties.
For Lee, who lacks prior foreign policy experience, the challenges are piling up. Beyond establishing personal rapport with foreign leaders, he must soon tackle thornier matters such as the future of American forces on the Peninsula and managing relations with a nuclear-armed North Korea.
Whether Lee can recalibrate his strategic posture to reassure Washington while preserving South Korea's autonomy remains an open question.
But for now, speculation over Korea Passing lingers.
Author: Kenji Yoshida
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