President Donald Trump met with South Korea’s newest president on Monday as he sought to smooth out a trade deal with the country. The meeting took place hours after Trump claimed on Truth Social that a “purge or revolution” is happening in the Asian country.
Trump welcomed liberal South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in the Oval Office on Monday as the two leaders sought to partner on shipbuilding and improve diplomacy with North Korea, according to The Washington Post. Lee was elected in June after conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached, then removed, after declaring martial law.
“WHAT IS GOING ON IN SOUTH KOREA?” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“We can’t have that and do business there,” Trump wrote. “I am seeing the new President today at the White House. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!”
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Lee applauds Trump
In the Oval Office, the two spoke to one another through translators, complimenting each other’s leadership and personalities. Lee applauded Trump for how he redecorated the room and said the president’s Make America Great Again slogan is coming true with the Dow Jones index’s slow rise.
“America’s role not as a keeper of peace but a maker of peace is emerging more evidently,” Lee’s translator told Trump in English. He further applauded Trump for his mediation in wars currently unfolding in the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Africa.
Lee also asked Trump to help mediate relations with North Korean President Kim Jong Un to ease tensions in the Korean peninsula. The two Koreas have historically fought against one another, and a recent joint drill involving the U.S. and South Korean militaries drew criticism from Kim. Trump and Lee joked they would host Kim in South Korea for a round of golf.
The afternoon meeting was set to focus on trade after South Korea struck a last-minute deal on tariffs on Aug. 1. But the meeting instead had the two leaders exchanging pleasantries.
Trump claims raids in South Korea
A reporter at the meeting questioned Trump about his Truth Social post. Trump replied that he had heard about church raids by Lee’s government, the Post reported. It wasn’t clear what Trump meant, but a special counsel raided the Unification Church offices in connection with a corruption investigation that involved former first lady Kim Keon-hee, Korean public broadcaster KBS WORLD TV reported.
Trump admitted to not knowing if what he heard was true or not. To Lee, he said it was a “misunderstanding.”
Lee said his country hasn’t healed yet from the attempted coup of the former administration. The special prosecutor in the case isn’t under Lee’s control and is conducting an independent investigation.
