Lee heads to G7 Summit to manifest Seoul's stability, integrity

Korea Herald

6 hours ago

Liberal president makes debut trip to Canada to signal stability, reaffirm US alliance
President Lee Jae-myung departed for Canada on Monday afternoon, Seoul time, to attend the Group of Seven summit, marking his first appearance on the global stage since taking office just under two weeks ago. Seoul officials are presenting the trip as both a symbolic debut for the newly elected liberal president and the starting point of a foreign policy doctrine centered on 'pragmatism.'
Lee's presence at the G7, only two weeks after his victory in the early election on June 3, is widely viewed as a message to the international community that South Korea has turned the page on recent domestic unrest. His meetings with global leaders — particularly US President Donald Trump — are being closely watched for signs of how Seoul will navigate the complex dynamics between Washington and Beijing, as well as upcoming US-led tariff negotiations with key trade partners, including South Korea.
Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a briefing hours before Lee's departure that his participation would 'enhance South Korea's international standing by informing the world about the greatness of South Korean citizens who overcame the fallout from the martial law declaration and insurrection,' referring to the political crisis under former President Yoon Suk Yeol. Kang also emphasized the resilience of what she described as 'K-democracy.'
Democratic Party Rep. Han Min-soo echoed the sentiment, saying the G7 invitation itself demonstrated that the international community recognizes South Korea's democratic recovery and institutional strength. 'It's a sign of trust and support,' he said.
The summit is also expected to be the first time the leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan have met in person since political transitions in all three countries reshaped the architecture of trilateral security cooperation in East Asia.
Gone are the days when Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea, Joe Biden of the United States and Fumio Kishida of Japan -- predecessors of the three incumbent leaders -- projected optimism about trilateral cooperation, capped by the Camp David summit in 2023, which emphasized joint deterrence against North Korea and deepened economic coordination. That vision, symbolized in the Camp David declaration, has since been upended by political shifts across all three nations.
President Lee, who was the final member of the trio to take office following the inaugurations of Japan's Shigeru Ishiba in October and US President Donald Trump in January, now faces the delicate task of ensuring policy continuity despite ideological differences. As opposition leader during Yoon's presidency, Lee had been a vocal critic of the conservative administration. But as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, and now as president, Lee has consistently pledged to uphold the 'ironclad' alliance with Washington, maintain constructive ties with Tokyo, and preserve trilateral cooperation as a cornerstone of Seoul's foreign policy.
According to the presidential office Sunday, Seoul remains open to holding three-way talks with the US and Japan on the sidelines of the G7 summit.
Analysts say Lee's challenge in Canada is not only to introduce himself to fellow G7 leaders but also to assure Trump that he can be a reliable counterpart — one who will continue core strategic agendas and not let political turnover in Seoul cast down on the consistancy of the alliance. "It's a crucial moment for Lee to present himself as a stable and pragmatic partner for Washington," one foreign policy expert said.
"In the past, Washington has had a sort of prejudice against left-leaning governments in South Korea," said Kim Heung-kyu, professor of political science and director of the US-China Policy Institute at Ajou University.
In the past, the election of liberal presidents in South Korea has led to Seoul taking a different approach on existing plans with Washington.
For example, when former liberal President Moon Jae-in took office in 2017, uncertainties arose in terms of the continuity of a planned deployment of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense launchers, an anti-missile system, on the Korean Peninsula.
Also under the Moon administration, ties between Seoul and Tokyo hit their lowest point after Seoul moved to scrap the so-called "comfort women agreement" between Moon's predecessor Park and the late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, saying the pact did not reflect the wishes of the people.
"The US might have preconceptions about the Lee administration's mantra of 'pragmatism' in diplomacy. At least, if (the US) can remove that doubt (during the bilateral talks), I think it will be a huge achievement," Kim said.
The idea could resonate with Wi Sung-lac, Lee's top security adviser. In his book published in 2020, when Wi was a retired career diplomat after serving as the South Korean ambassador to Russia until 2015, he stressed South Korea's need to "sympathize with the threat that the US is facing and maintain the willingness to act as an ally."
South Korea's assurance 'will be an asset to persuade the US at a critical moment," Wi also noted.
Balancing act
While all eyes are on whether South Korea's Lee will take part in the upcoming North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in the Netherlands as well, there are mixed views over whether Lee's presence at both multilateral summits might be unfavorable to South Korea's relationship with China.
Lee's office has yet to unveil whether he would attend the NATO summit.
Kim of Ajou University said while China is unlikely to voice concerns about South Korea's participation in the G7 summit, given that it is an economic forum, the same is unlikely to hold for his anticipated participation in the NATO summit next week. Lee's office has not confirmed his attendance at NATO.
"It would be a bit burdensome for our president to join the NATO members if their joint statements send hostile messages against Russia and China," Kim said. "Under such extraordinary circumstances, South Korea should remain an observer and play the role of (the observer)."
However, Lee Shin-wha, professor of political science and international relations at Korea University, said President Lee's presence at both summits could increase South Korea's bargaining power in dealing with China, because South Korea can demonstrate that it frequents such multilateral summits.
"There is some speculation that Lee should not attend the NATO summit because of (South Korea's relations with) China, but I don't think so," professor Lee said.
While President Lee is scheduled to attend the G7's expanded session Tuesday, local time, and hold bilateral meetings, his national security adviser Wi declined to confirm which leaders Lee would meet during the visit. But Lee's office said that he "might have a chance" to sit down for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The G7 summit is a forum comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The European Union is also a member.
Along with South Korea, this year's event features the leaders of India, Ukraine, Mexico, South Africa and the United Nations.
During the expanded G7 session Tuesday, local time, Lee is to deliver remarks on achieving resilience in energy-related supply chains through diversification and on Seoul's role in forging a global artificial intelligence ecosystem, according to the presidential office.