White House calls South Korea election ‘fair', expresses concern about Chinese influence
In recent days, right-wing allies of US President Donald Trump have taken aim at Mr Lee Jae-myung. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
WASHINGTON - The White House said on June 3 that South Korea's election, which saw liberal party candidate Lee Jae-myung win the presidency, was fair, but it expressed concern about Chinese interference.
"The US-ROK Alliance remains ironclad. While South Korea had a free and fair election, the United States remains concerned and opposed to Chinese interference and influence in democracies around the world," a White House official said in an emailed response to a Reuters request for comment made at an earlier White House briefing.
"ROK" refers to the Republic of Korea.
The official did not elaborate on the reference to alleged Chinese interference or connect it directly to the South Korean election.
In recent days, however, right-wing allies of US President Donald Trump have taken aim at Lee, who has spoken of the need to balance Seoul's relations with China and the United States.
Ms Laura Loomer, a far-right activist who has jockeyed her way up from online agitator to self-appointed Mr Trump adviser, posted "RIP South Korea" on X on June 3 after Lee's victory became clear.
"The communists have taken over Korea and won the Presidential election today," she wrote. "This is terrible," she added.
Ms Loomer has shown herself to be highly influential: Several high-ranking White House officials were fired in 2024 after she presented Mr Trump with a list of national security staffers she perceived to be disloyal.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement congratulating Lee, and like the White House spoke about the two countries' alliance, also calling it "ironclad." He made no mention of concerns about China.
"The United States and the Republic of Korea share an ironclad commitment to the Alliance grounded in our Mutual Defence Treaty, shared values, and deep economic ties," Mr Rubio said.
"We are also modernising the Alliance to meet the demands of today's strategic environment and address new economic challenges."
Mr Rubio also said the United States would continue to deepen trilateral cooperation with South Korea and Japan, 'to bolster regional security, enhance economic resilience, and defend our shared democratic principles.'
As South Korea's ousted former president, Yoon Suk Yeol, fought for his political life earlier in 2025, he raised unsubstantiated claims about possible fraud in South Korea's elections as one reason for his announcement of a martial law decree that had prompted his ouster.
His backers adopted "Stop the Steal" slogans and expressed hopes that Mr Trump would intervene to help, but that never came.
Last week, without providing evidence, Mr Trump ally Mike Flynn, a retired general who briefly served as the president's national security adviser during his first term, referred in a post on X to "signs of fraud" in the South Korea election, and said a fraudulent outcome would only benefit the Chinese Communist Party.
Another Mr Trump ally, Mr Steve Bannon, explored a similar theme of Chinese election interference on his WarRoom channel last week. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
26 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Bolivia leftist Rodriguez back in presidential race; Morales kept out
Bolivia's presidential candidate Andronico Rodriguez gestures as he and vice presidential candidate Mariana Prado (not pictured) announce their candidacy under the Popular Alliance during an event at a hotel in La Paz, Bolivia May 19, 2025. REUTERS/Claudia Morales/File Photo LA PAZ - Bolivian Senate leader Andronico Rodriguez is eligible to run in the nation's presidential elections later this year, a constitutional court confirmed on Thursday, while former President Evo Morales remains out of the running. Rodriguez, a leftist leader who has received backing from current President Luis Arce, had difficulties registering his party in the race. Morales, meanwhile, is constitutionally barred from running, though he has called for his supporters to take to the streets to demand his eligibility. Rodriguez's "Third System" party can participate in August's elections, the court ruled on Thursday. A recent Ipsos CIESMORI poll showed him as the leading contender for the left, after opposition candidates Samuel Doria, a businessman and economist, and conservative ex-President Jorge Quiroga. Morales, who has lost much of his political clout as he remains locked away in a compound guarded by his supporters in rural Bolivia to evade a warrant out for his arrest, on Thursday insisted that he will return to once again lead the country. Courts have repeatedly ruled that Morales, who has already served three terms as president, is ineligible to run for another term. "We again ask political actors to not try and judicialize the electoral process," senior judge Rene Yvan Espada said in a press conference. "We want to invite Bolivian citizens... to follow through on their responsibility to carry out these elections with the upmost normality, harmony and peace possible," he added. Morales has taken advantage of the waning popularity of Arce, once Morales' mentee, due to rising living costs, political infighting and long lines for petrol supplies, all of which have fueled recent protests and street blockades. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
26 minutes ago
- Straits Times
IAEA team at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia says it heard repeated rounds of gunfire
FILE PHOTO: A view shows the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from the bank of Kakhovka Reservoir near the town of Nikopol amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, June 16, 2023. REUTERS/Alina Smutko/File Photo IAEA team at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia says it heard repeated rounds of gunfire International monitors at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine heard repeated rounds of gunfire that appeared to be aimed at drones reportedly attacking the site's training centre, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog said on Thursday. Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe's largest nuclear facility with six reactors, in the early weeks of Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Each side has since routinely accused the other of attacking the plant and posing a threat to nuclear safety. Monitors from the International Atomic Energy Agency reported hearing at least five explosions between 11:30 a.m. and 13:45 p.m. local time, each preceded by gunfire, an IAEA statement said. The statement gave no indication of the origin of the drones and said there were no reports of any damage to the centre. "Drones flying close to nuclear power plants could threaten their safety and security, with potentially serious consequences," IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said. "As I have stated repeatedly during the war, such incidents must stop immediately." The statement said it was the fourth time this year that the training centre, located just outside the site perimeter, was reportedly targeted by drones. The plant's Russian management had earlier said Ukrainian drones had landed on the roof of the training center in "yet another attack" on the facility. It said there had been no casualties or damage. The Zaporizhzhia station, with all its reactors in shut down mode, produces no electricity. Before the war, it generated one-fifth of Ukraine's electricity. Grossi last week told Reuters that while Russia had "never hidden the fact" that it wanted to restart the plant, this could not be done soon as it lacked water for cooling and a stable power supply. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
26 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Canada's Carney and Trump hold secret talks on framework trade and security deal: Report
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (left) visiting US President Donald Trump at the White House in May 2025. PHOTO: REUTERS Canada's Carney and Trump hold secret talks on framework trade and security deal: Report OTTAWA - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is secretly holding direct talks with US President Donald Trump to work out a framework for a trade and security agreement, the Globe and Mail reported on June 5. The talks between the leaders and top Cabinet ministers are being held discreetly to ensure a positive outcome, the report said, citing the US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra. The talks include Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, the newspaper said, adding that a deal could be reached before September. 'The indications that they are talking and in communications regularly is a clear indicator to me that both sides recognise the importance and the urgency of moving this forward,' Mr Hoekstra told the Globe and Mail. Mr Carney's office declined to comment and the US Embassy in Ottawa did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
