President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands before their APEC summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, October 29, 2025.
One of the hallmarks of President Lee’s foreign policy was what he called “pragmatic diplomacy prioritizing national interests.” He prioritized autonomy over ideological alignment, helping Seoul balance relations amid intense competition between the United States and China, as security and economic issues became increasingly intertwined.
Joseph DeTrani, former U.S. special envoy for the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula’s nuclear program, said Lee “managed these two crucial relationships well,” with the United States being South Korea’s closest ally and China its main trading partner.
Daniel Sneider, a Stanford University researcher specializing in US foreign policy and Asian security issues, says President Lee “has skillfully managed two parallel challenges: economic and strategic assertiveness.” of China and President Donald Trump’s shift toward the post-war system of alliances and the free trade order.
During a meeting between Lee and Trump at the APEC summit hosted by South Korea in October 2025, Seoul announced plans to invest $350 billion in US high-tech industries and naval sectors in exchange for Washington reducing tariffs on South Korean goods from 25%. at 15%. Seoul also took advantage of these discussions to review its civilian nuclear cooperation, thus paving the way for the construction of nuclear-powered submarines.
President Lee also used the APEC summit to improve diplomatic relations with China, strained since the United States deployed the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system in South Korea in 2017. President Xi Jinping became the first Chinese leader to visit South Korea in eleven years. In January 2026, President Lee made a reciprocal visit to Beijing, during which Xi raised the possibility of lifting restrictions on South Korean cultural exports.
President Lee Jae Myung poses for a photo with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their summit in Beijing, using a Xiaomi smartphone Xi gave him.
Regarding relations with Japan, President Lee held numerous private meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, contrary to pessimistic predictions based on past disagreements between the two countries, particularly in the context of World War II. At their last summit on May 19 in Lee’s home province of North Gyeongsang, the two leaders pledged to cooperate on energy security, including through a crude oil swap deal.
According to Park Won-gon, professor of international studies at Ewha Women’s University, maintaining this form of “shuttle diplomacy” between the two leaders is encouraging because it creates a framework to address challenges.
Relations with North Korea have given rise to mixed reactions. American academics say South Korea is showing insight by “pursuing a policy of peaceful coexistence while strengthening its strategic relations with the United States and Japan.”
LE THU (Selon and Korea Times)
Source : https://baocantho.com.vn/mot-nam-doi-ngoai-thanh-cong-cua-tong-thong-han-quoc-a205763.html
