Lee-Trump summit likely a major test for future alliance trajectory

WASHINGTON — The planned summit between Presidents Lee Jae Myung and Donald Trump is expected to be a crucial test for the South Korea-U.S. alliance to set its future trajectory, as Washington is pushing to reshape the bilateral security and economic partnerships in the face of an increasingly assertive China. Lee and Trump are set to hold their first in-person summit at the White House on Monday, as South Korea and the United States seek to forge a shared understanding of where their partnership should be headed under a joint effort to "modernize" the alliance. The high-stakes summit will come against the backdrop of the Trump administration's growing demand that South Korea and other Asian allies boost their defense spending and undertake greater security burdens, while the U.S. focuses on deterring the "pacing threat" from its biggest strategic rival, China. Keen attention is fixated on how Seoul will navigate tricky "alliance modernization" issues, including Washington's potential move to readjust the size, role, composition and operational scope of the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces KWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times