Seoul’s bid for early Yoon-Trump meeting faces slim odds

South Korea’s bid to secure an early meeting between President Yoon Suk Yeol and US President-elect Donald Trump, leveraging Yoon’s trip to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and G-20 summits in South America, now appears unlikely, a senior presidential official in Seoul said.

“Trump’s team has been informing all embassies that, with their focus on key appointments and domestic issues, meetings with foreign leaders are unlikely before the inauguration,” the presidential official said on condition of anonymity, during a press briefing in Lima, Peru, Thursday.

“With the recent conclusion of the US election, President-elect Trump is devoting considerable time to domestic political matters,” the official added. He is to be inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2025.

The official further explained, “It is true that many of America’s partner countries, including ours, have explored the possibility of holding a preliminary meeting with Trump.”

Since Trump’s victory, Yoon has shown a strong commitment to meeting with the US president-elect at the earliest opportunity, aiming to build rapport and engage in dialogue before Trump’s inauguration -- a diplomatic move unprecedented for a sitting South Korean president. There is no record of a South Korean president meeting with a US president-elect before their inauguration in the US.

The unnamed official emphasized that the most likely scenario is to complete the itinerary and return as planned, adding, "However, we will continue discussions with President-elect Trump’s team regarding policy matters and leader-to-leader engagement."

Yoon embarked on his trip Thursday to attend the APEC summit in Lima on Friday and Saturday, followed by the G20 Leaders' Summit on Monday and Tuesday.

However, principal deputy national security adviser Kim Tae-hyo announced during the same briefing that Yoon was to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of the APEC summit on Friday.

This marks the first summit between Yoon and Xi in two years to the day, following their last at the G20 Summit in Indonesia in November 2022.

Since the South Korea-Japan-China summit in Seoul this May, South Korea and China have broadened communication and exchanges at various levels, including the arrangement of this Korea-China summit.

“The leaders of Korea and China are expected to discuss revitalizing economic, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, while also exchanging in-depth views on regional dynamics, including the situation on the Korean Peninsula,” Kim said during the briefing.

Asked about the specific agenda for the Yoon-Xi summit, the official indicated that the two leaders would engage in "broad-scale discussions addressing emerging challenges in both security and economic spheres."

“With North Korea-Russia military cooperation ongoing, the strategic direction for Korea-China collaboration -- spanning European affairs, the Indo-Pacific and Northeast Asia -- has come clearly into focus, particularly with the US presidential election now concluded,” the official said. “Chinese authorities are highly motivated to pursue avenues to revitalize Korea-China relations actively.”

Asked if a visit to Seoul for Xi -- a trip he has not made since July 2014 -- might be added to the agenda, the official noted that "the issue could come up for discussion."

A trilateral summit among the leaders of South Korea, the US and Japan is also set for Friday, with security issues taking center stage, according to the official.

"With North Korea-Russia military cooperation being a primary concern for both Japan and the US, this matter will certainly be discussed," the official added.

"This trilateral summit seeks to solidify the progress outlined at the Camp David summit. We proposed the establishment of a Korea-US-Japan secretariat, presenting ideas since the beginning of the year, and the results of this serious consideration may be announced tomorrow."

Yoon also held a one-on-one meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Saturday, marking their second encounter since last month’s meeting on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Vientiane, Laos.

According to the presidential office in Seoul, the two leaders are expected to discuss cooperative measures for future-oriented development of bilateral relations as Seoul and Tokyo approach the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties next year.