[Editorial] Resetting the alliance

Korea Herald

2 days ago

Lee, Trump prepare for summit that may redefine Korea-US alliance
President Lee Jae Myung's summit with US President Donald Trump this month is expected to mark a turning point in the Korea-US alliance. It will be their first in-person meeting since Trump returned to the White House in January, and it follows Seoul's hard-won tariff deal that secured trade terms on par with those for Japan.
But economic parity is only part of the story. As security threats multiply and US foreign policy grows increasingly transactional, the summit presents an opportunity for South Korea to reanchor the alliance in predictability before global volatility intensifies.
Lee, a progressive leader with no personal ties to Trump, is engaging a counterpart known for breaking diplomatic conventions and questioning traditional alliances. But Lee's emphasis on pragmatism — not flattery or defiance — is appropriate. His administration's goal is to reset the terms of engagement on clearer, firmer ground with a White House that demands more and guarantees less.
At the top of the agenda is defense cost-sharing. During his first term, Trump demanded a fivefold increase in South Korea's contribution to the costs for hosting US troops on the peninsula. While a 2021 agreement put the issue on pause, concerns remain that Trump may revive the demand. Lee's team is preparing to resist sharp hikes and reframe the discussion around mutual benefits, not transactional arithmetic.
South Korea's strategic importance cannot be reduced to dollars and cents. Its position between China and US-led alliances, combined with advanced defense and technological capabilities, makes it a regional linchpin. Hosting key military assets and conducting joint exercises strengthens collective readiness and reinforces the US presence in Northeast Asia.
Nuclear deterrence is another critical issue. With North Korea expanding its arsenal and deepening ties with Russia, Lee is expected to push for renewed clarity on the US nuclear umbrella. A credible extended deterrence framework remains essential to South Korea's security, especially as Pyongyang shows no sign of restraint.
Another priority is trilateral coordination with Japan. The Camp David process in August 2023, under the previous Joe Biden administration, strengthened Korea-US-Japan cooperation on missile tracking and early warning systems. Trump has yet to indicate whether he supports this framework or sees it merely as a holdover. Seoul will press for assurance that trilateral security cooperation is not undermined by a return to one-on-one bargaining.
The recent tariff agreement offers a useful model. After months of low-profile negotiations, South Korea secured exemptions from certain US tariffs — a parity Japan already enjoyed. This outcome is viewed in Seoul as proof that diplomacy remains possible under Trump, if grounded in shared interests and quiet persistence. The challenge now is to apply that approach to defense, where uncertainty can be more damaging.
Some critics argue that Trump's approach to alliances remains too mercurial. The broader question is how to 'modernize the alliance' — Washington's term for pressing allies to shoulder more of the defense burden and align with its strategy to keep China at bay. Whether Trump will engage Seoul in a serious, forward-looking conversation or pursue headline-driven concessions remains unclear.
It is also uncertain whether the Trump administration, absorbed in domestic politics, fully appreciates the risks of strategic drift in East Asia, where tensions could escalate without warning.
For Lee, the summit can be seen as a credibility test. His domestic critics are watching for signs of miscalculation or overreach. But if he returns with a firmer security road map, renewed deterrence commitments and no unpleasant surprises, he will have shown that South Korea can chart its course even amid unpredictable leadership in Washington.
The talks are unlikely to smooth every wrinkle, yet they could mark a step toward a more grounded and resilient alliance — one shaped by the demands of a volatile era.