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
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Trump says US justice department, not him, made decision to bring back Abrego Garcia
Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a 29-year-old Salvadoran whose wife, Ms Jennifer Vasquez Sura (above), and young child are US citizens. PHOTO: REUTERS Trump says US justice department, not him, made decision to bring back Abrego Garcia WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on June 7 it was the Department of Justice, not him, that made the decision to bring back to the US a man mistakenly deported from Maryland to El Salvador. Kilmar Abrego Garcia was flown back to face criminal charges of transporting illegal immigrants within the US, Attorney-General Pam Bondi said on June 6. His return marked an inflection point in a case seized on by critics of Mr Trump's immigration crackdown as a sign that his administration was disregarding civil liberties in its push to step up deportations of migrants. 'Well, that wasn't my decision. The Department of Justice decided to do it that way, and that's fine,' Mr Trump told NBC News in an interview, when asked about Abrego Garcia's return. Mr Trump added that he had not spoken to El Salvador President Nayib Bukele about the move. Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old Salvadoran whose wife and young child in Maryland are US citizens, appeared in federal court in Nashville on the evening of June 6. His arraignment was set for June 13, when he will enter a plea, according to local media reports. Until then, he will remain in federal custody. If convicted, he would be deported to El Salvador after serving his sentence, Ms Bondi said. The Trump administration has said Abrego Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang, an accusation that his lawyers deny. Abrego Garcia was deported on March 15, more than two months before the charges were filed. He was briefly held in a mega-prison known as the Terrorism Confinement Centre in El Salvador, despite a US immigration judge's 2019 order barring him from being sent to the Central American nation because he would likely be persecuted by gangs. Mr Trump said he thought it would be 'a very easy case' against Abrego Garcia, who he accused of having a 'horrible record of abuse' of women. Abrego Garcia's lawyer, Mr Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, has called the criminal charges "fantastical." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
White House aide calls Los Angeles anti-ICE protests an ‘insurrection'
Protesters gathering around the Los Angeles Federal Building following multiple detentions by ICE immigration agents, in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 6. PHOTO: REUTERS WASHINGTON - Senior White House aide Stephen Miller on June 7 condemned protests in downtown Los Angeles against federal immigration raids as an "insurrection" against the United States. Helmeted police in riot gear engaged in a tense confrontation with protesters on the night of June 6 after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted enforcement operations in the city and arrested at least 44 people on immigration violations. 'An insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States,' Mr Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, wrote on X. Mr Miller, an immigration hardliner, was responding to video footage on X showing a large number of people protesting in downtown Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said it had not made any arrests related to the demonstration. FBI deputy director Dan Bongino posted on X that they were reviewing evidence from the protests. 'We are working with the US Attorney's Office to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice,' Mr Bongino said. 'The Right to assemble and protest does not include a licence to attack law enforcement officers, or to impede and obstruct our lawful immigration operations.' President Donald Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the US-Mexico border, with the White House setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3,000 migrants a day. But the sweeping immigration crackdown has also included people legally residing in the country, including some with permanent residence, and has led to legal challenges. Television news footage earlier on June 6 showed caravans of unmarked military-style vehicles and vans loaded with uniformed federal agents streaming through Los Angeles streets as part of the immigration enforcement operation. "Forty-four people (were arrested) on immigration charges," Ms Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe, a spokesperson for Homeland Security Investigations told Reuters on June 7. The LAPD did not take part in the immigration enforcement. It was deployed to quell civil unrest after crowds protesting the deportation raids spray-painted anti-ICE slogans on the walls of a federal court building and gathered outside a nearby jail where some of the detainees were reportedly being held. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in a statement condemned the immigration raids. 'I am deeply angered by what has taken place,' Ms Bass said. 'These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. We will not stand for this.' REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
White House aide calls Los Angeles anti-ICE protests an 'insurrection'
FILE PHOTO: A protester holds a placard as they gather around the Los Angeles Federal Building following multiple detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 6, 2025. REUTERS/Daniel Cole/File Photo WASHINGTON - Senior White House aide Stephen Miller on Saturday condemned protests in downtown Los Angeles against federal immigration raids as an "insurrection" against the United States. Helmeted police in riot gear engaged in a tense confrontation with protesters on Friday night after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted enforcement operations in the city and arrested at least 44 people on immigration violations. "An insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States," Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, wrote on X. Miller, an immigration hardliner, was responding to video footage on X showing a large number of people protesting in downtown Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said it had not made any arrests related to the demonstration. FBI deputy director Dan Bongino posted on X that they were reviewing evidence from the protests. "We are working with the U.S. Attorney's Office to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice," Bongino said. "The Right to assemble and protest does not include a license to attack law enforcement officers, or to impede and obstruct our lawful immigration operations." President Donald Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the U.S.-Mexico border, with the White House setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3,000 migrants per day. But the sweeping immigration crackdown has also included people legally residing in the country, including some with permanent residence, and has led to legal challenges. Television news footage earlier on Friday showed caravans of unmarked military-style vehicles and vans loaded with uniformed federal agents streaming through Los Angeles streets as part of the immigration enforcement operation. "Forty-four people (were arrested) on immigration charges," Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe, a spokesperson for Homeland Security Investigations told Reuters on Saturday. The LAPD did not take part in the immigration enforcement. It was deployed to quell civil unrest after crowds protesting the deportation raids spray-painted anti-ICE slogans on the walls of a federal court building and gathered outside a nearby jail where some of the detainees were reportedly being held. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in a statement condemned the immigration raids. "I am deeply angered by what has taken place," Bass said. "These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. We will not stand for this." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
