South Korean President Lee Jae-myung speaks during a press conference at the Presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, June 4, 2025.
Ahn Young-joon | Via Reuters
President Donald Trump cast doubt Monday on the United States’ ability to do business with South Korea, hours before he was set to host the key trade partner’s new leader at the White House for an in-person summit.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who took office in June following a snap election, is expected to discuss investment details in the nations’ trade agreement and a shipbuilding deal during his visit.
But just before Lee was set to arrive at the White House, Trump painted South Korea as a nation in turmoil, saying on social media that the country appears to be experiencing a “purge” or a “revolution.”
“WHAT IS GOING ON IN SOUTH KOREA?” he wrote in the all-caps post on his social media platform.
“We can’t have that and do business there,” he continued.
The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment, or provide additional clarity on what Trump was referring to in his post.
South Korea’s presidential office, for its part, said that it was “checking [the] the situation” after Trump’s remarks, according to the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency.
Trump’s surprise comments could foreshadow a frostier negotiation than what South Korean leaders had wanted.
Coming just months after Lee took office, the Trump meeting is a pivotal foreign policy test for the newly elected president.
The two nations reached a trade deal that capped tariffs on South Korea’s exports to the U.S. at 15%.
That tariff rate was lower than the 25% rate that Trump had previously threatened.
But he also said at the time that South Korea “will give to the United States $350 Billion Dollars for Investments owned and controlled by the United States, and selected by myself, as President.”
Since then, questions have emerged over the investment pledge and how it would be structured.
The investment is expected to be a key point of negotiations between the two leaders on Monday.
One other point of discussion likely to be front and center at the meeting is a deal to boost U.S. shipbuilding in South Korea.
South Korean officials have announced a $150 billion proposal, which they’ve dubbed “Make America Shipbuilding Great Again,” seeking to revive U.S. shipbuilding.
The offer came as part of the two countries’ trade negotiations.
Another topic likely to be discussed is the future of the more than 28,000 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea.
Trump wants South Korea to take on more responsibility in its defense efforts so that the U.S. troops can focus on China, but South Korea worries that doing so could leave the country more vulnerable to threats from North Korea.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
