A smile of relief after the South Korea-U.S. Summit
“SNS was very threatening, but
I was sure it wouldn’t cause significant damage to the alliance”
Trump: “Misunderstanding about church search”,
President Lee Jae-myung delivering a policy speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C. on the 25th (local time). Newsis,
President Lee Jae-myung stated on the 25th (local time) regarding U.S. President Donald Trump’s ‘unexpected remarks’ that, “While they were very threatening, I was confident that they would not inflict significant damage to the South Korea-U.S. alliance.” Previously, President Trump had posted on social media just before the summit, suggesting that “there seems to be a purge or revolution in South Korea.”
During a conversation with John Hamre, the head of the American think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), President Lee said, “My aides were worried that a situation similar to Zelensky and Trump might occur,” but he added, “I knew (President Trump) would not do that.” President Lee explained that the reason for his confidence was because he had read Trump’s book “The Art of the Deal,” stating, “In the book, it mentions that while he may propose conditions that are difficult for the other party to endure, he does not ultimately lead to unreasonable conclusions.”
President Lee continued to emphasize, “President Trump has shown such patterns in previous negotiations,” adding, “The alliance between South Korea and the U.S. is very important, so I was certain that it would not be significantly damaged.”
Indeed, during the summit, President Trump stated, “There were rumors about a church raid, but I am confident it is a misunderstanding.” President Lee responded by saying, “It is not an investigation conducted by the Korean government but rather by a special prosecutor appointed by the National Assembly,” and explained, “It seems to be about verifying the Korean military control system within that unit, not a direct investigation into the U.S. troops.”
Previously, a ‘Rebellion Special Prosecutor’ team had conducted a search and seizure operation at the Osan base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, in connection with North Korean drone operations, and the ‘Sgt. Chae Special Prosecutor Team’ had conducted a search and seizure of Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul.
After the summit, President Lee also noted that the subsequent lunch was “very good.” He said, “Discussions during meetings or meals were conducted in a very serious and cooperative manner, and we talked about and understood much more than we anticipated, which encouraged us to have more conversations.” He added, “Everyone advised me to ‘be patient.'”