Trump Meets South Korean President to Discuss Trade, Defense

The U.S. president’s visit to South Korea comes amid regional tensions and economic negotiations, with meetings set alongside key Asian leaders.

U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung attend a bilateral meeting at the Gyeongju National Museum in Gyeongju, South Korea, on Oct. 29, 2025. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in South Korea on Oct. 29 for a scheduled summit with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and other key regional leaders.

He was greeted with a red carpet welcome and a military band playing the song “YMCA” by the Village People—a mainstay for Trump on his campaign trail before his second term.

A key agenda item for Trump during his visit to South Korea is a summit in Gyeongju, where the U.S. ally is hosting this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings. At the summit, Trump is expected to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday.

Trump touched down in South Korea later than expected, arriving around 90 minutes after his initial arrival time. That late arrival comes after North Korea announced that it had tested a new cruise missile in the seas to its west a few hours earlier.

Addressing a summit of APEC CEOs in Gyeongju before meeting Lee, Trump said a trade deal with South Korea would be finalised “very soon,” though officials on both sides have been downplaying the prospect of a breakthrough this week.

Negotiators from both countries remain deadlocked over a $350 billion investment pledge by Seoul announced in late July, meant to address the trade imbalances that saw Trump threaten significant tariffs on South Korea.

Trump then met with Lee to tour a museum in Gyeongju. The city was the capital of Korea’s ancient Silla Kingdom, which unified most of the Korean Peninsula in the 7th century and ruled it until the 9th century.

Lee awarded Trump the “Grand Order of Mugunghwa,” the country’s highest order of merit, which he said was in recognition of Trump’s role as a peacemaker on the Korean Peninsula.

The award is named after South Korea’s national flower, a pink hibiscus also known as the Rose of Sharon in English.

During his first term, Trump held a series of summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un before the talks broke down as Pyongyang surged ahead with developing its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

The South Korean leader also gifted Trump a replica of the gold Cheonmachong crown.

“This symbolizes the history of Silla, which maintained a long-term era of peace on the Korean Peninsula, and a new era of peaceful coexistence and common growth on the Korean Peninsula that the United States and South Korea will work together for,” Lee said.

The leaders then had a working lunch, where Lee pledged to spend more on defense.

The pair is expected to attend a dinner with the leaders of Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Thailand, and Singapore later on Wednesday.

Trump’s visit to South Korea comes as part of a larger tour of the region.

The U.S. president arrived in Southeast Asia on Sunday, beginning with a visit to Malaysia. During meetings with Malaysian and other regional officials, Trump secured key commitments on rare-earth materials and trade imbalances. During his visit, he announced four trade deals with Malaysia and others.

Trump arrived in Tokyo on Monday for meetings with Japanese officials, including a meeting with new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and a ceremonial meeting with Emperor Naruhito.

Melanie Sun and Reuters contributed to this report.