WORLD_ South Korean president’s newly adopted centrism may not be enough to woo some conservative critics

THE WASHINGTON TIMES 

South Korean president’s newly adopted centrism may not be enough to woo some conservative critics 

Uncertainties over trade, security and partisanship precede tensely anticipated White House visit

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, center left, and his wife Kim Hea-kyung, center right, wave the national flags during the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, … more > 

By Andrew Salmon - The Washington Times - Sunday, August 24, 2025 


SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who campaigned as a moderate after a career as a liberal firebrand, had conservative critics on edge at home and in Washington ahead of a summit at the White House on Monday. 

Mr. Lee will meet with President Trump after huddling in Tokyo on Saturday with his Japanese counterpart, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. 

Mr. Lee and Mr. Trump have tested Korean nerves. Mr. Trump has not yet assigned an ambassador to Seoul, and domestic supporters and critics skeptical of the lifelong liberal’s untested diplomatic skills are intently watching Mr. Lee’s overdue trip to Washington. An invitation was anticipated last month. 

Mr. Lee’s meeting with Mr. Ishiba earned good reviews. The Asian neighbors agreed to expand cooperation in security, trade, tourism and defense against North Korea. 

That outcome is doubly surprising given Mr. Lee’s pre-presidential reputation as a Japanophobe who addressed anti-Tokyo rallies. More broadly, he has ditched considerable political baggage from a leftist past in his transition from revolutionary to ruler. 

The presidency was up for grabs in June after conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol shook Korea in December by declaring martial law. 

Mr. Lee, an opposition leader who had frustrated Mr. Yoon’s governance in the National Assembly, defied commandos to lead lawmakers in a vote overturning martial law, dooming Mr. Yoon. 

On Feb. 18, Mr. Lee strikingly announced that his liberal party must “take the center right” political ground. 

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READ MORE: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/aug/24/newly-centrist-south-korean-presidents-upcoming-white-house-visit/ 

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