[Editorial] Build confidence
Lee should use G7 summit to cement US alliance, free world's trust in Korea
President Lee Jae-myung will attend the summit of the Group of Seven advanced countries in Alberta, Canada, from June 15-17.
It will mark Lee's debut on the stage of summit diplomacy 11 days after he took office Wednesday.
South Korea is not a G7 member state but was invited to participate as an observer.
The summit is an opportunity for Lee to start building confidence with leaders of the seven major countries -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US.
Particularly, his first face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump will be significant.
The presidential office is said to be pushing to hold bilateral talks with Trump on the sidelines of the summit.
As Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is scheduled to attend the summit, a trilateral meeting among leaders of South Korea, the US and Japan could also be held.
Lee had his first phone call with Trump Friday night, three days after his presidential inauguration. Trump congratulated Lee on his election victory, according to the presidential office.
But considering that Lee's predecessors first spoke on the phone with US presidents usually on the day they won their elections or the day after, the Lee-Trump phone call came exceptionally late.
Shortly after the presidential election, the White House said the US remains concerned about and opposed to Chinese interference and influence in democracies around the world.
It is uncertain if the US is suspicious of Lee's past remarks about or attitude toward China. Last year, he said something to the effect that the Taiwan Strait issues are none of South Korea's business.
The US alliance, together with three-way cooperation among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo, is the bedrock of South Korea's national security.
Lee should reaffirm and further strengthen the alliance. That's also a way to gain the confidence of G7 leaders.
Cooperation with the US across almost all areas, including diplomacy, security and economy, is indispensable for South Korea.
If trust is weak between the South Korean and US leaders, it will become difficult to find breakthroughs on key pending issues such as defense cost-sharing and trade negotiations.
High-level communications are more urgent than ever to prevent mutual misunderstandings and to keep Korea's security environment stable. Smooth communication stems from unshakable trust among leaders.
These days, Washington emphasizes strategic flexibility for US Forces Korea. This suggests the possibility of extending their role beyond the defense of South Korea.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the US has focused all its diplomatic, military and economic strategies on checking China.
Seoul used to walk a tightrope between Washington and Beijing in seeking to maximize its national interests, but the Trump administration is not likely to condone such behavior anymore.
In addition to a possible one-on-one meeting between Lee and Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit, the presidential office in Seoul is reportedly pushing for Lee to visit Washington.
The sooner he visits Washington, the better, because there have not been summit communications for quite a long time.
South Korea was invited to the G7 summit thanks to the country's elevated international stature. This means that it should live up to the free world's expectations. Lee should assure them that South Korea is on the same side as their countries.
In the meantime, the country has been invited to the NATO summit in The Hague, the Netherlands, on June 24 and 25.
The presidential office said that Lee has not yet decided whether to attend it.
NATO is strengthening dialogue and cooperation with its four Asia Pacific partners: South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Some of NATO member states are emerging markets for South Korea's defense and nuclear power industries.
Maintaining friendly relations with them could be a shortcut to realizing the pragmatism that the new administration claims to advocate. Lee should positively consider attending the summit.
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[Editorial] Build confidence
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