RSK President Lee Jae Myung faces biggest diplomatic test as world leaders gather in Korea for APEC summit.

World leaders are congregating this week in the historic southeastern city of Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang, where President Lee Jae Myung faces his biggest diplomatic test since taking office with South Korea hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit amid intense trade and geopolitical tensions.  

Security was tight in and around the Bomun Tourist Complex, the site of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting and leaders’ lodgings, as the heads of 21 leading economies, including U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, were set to gather for the annual summit, hosted by South Korea for the first time in 20 years.  

The main APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, taking place over Friday and Saturday, will be an occasion to adopt a joint leaders’ declaration amid growing trade challenges due to U.S. vows to impose tariffs.

On the margins of the APEC gathering, Lee, who arrived in Gyeongju today afternoon after returning from the Asean summit in Malaysia on Monday, will also hold bilateral talks with at least 10 leaders, including Trump, Xi and new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. These meetings can set the pace of South Korea’s trade and security going forward.

The gathering also brings together global business leaders, and Lee is scheduled to deliver an address at the opening ceremony of the APEC CEO Summit on Wednesday, ahead of the main event. Trump is also expected to deliver a keynote address during the CEO Summit.  

US President Donald Trump will arrive in South Korea on Wednesday, his first visit to the country since returning to office for a second term. He last visited the country during his first term in office six years ago. However, he is unlikely to stay for the main APEC summit.  

Much is at stake during Lee’s second bilateral talks with Trump, following up on their first White House summit in August, as Seoul and Washington try to overcome the impasse in negotiations over a trade deal tentatively struck in late July. The two sides are stuck over the details of financing Seoul’s $ 350 billion investment package, pledged in return for lowered tariffs, in senior-level talks.  

As Seoul straddles diplomacy between the two rivaling powers, Lee will also hold his first meeting with Xi, marking the Chinese leader’s first trip to South Korea in 11 years. The talks between the neighbors could also play an essential role in Lee’s vision to ease inter-Korean tensions and stabilize the Korean Peninsula.  

On the sidelines of the APEC gathering in Korea, Trump and Xi will hold consequential bilateral talks on Thursday as the world awaits possible relief amid the intensifying U.S.-China competition. Also, on the backdrop is whether Trump will have any message for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his Korea visit. The US President has repeatedly signaled during his Asia trip, which included stops in Malaysia and Japan, that he is willing to meet Kim, even if it means extending his stay in South Korea.

When asked what Washington could offer Kim during such a meeting, Trump suggested he is open to adjusting sanctions against Pyongyang, a significant point of contention for the regime. “Well, we have sanctions“, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One Monday. “That’s pretty big to start off with“. Trump said he’d be “around” if Kim wanted to meet, adding, “I’ll be in South Korea, so I could be right over there“.

President Lee, during his first summit with Trump, notably asked the U.S. leader to play the role of a “peacemaker” on the North Korea issue, saying he would become the “pacemaker” to support such efforts to bring peace on the peninsula.

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, during a parliamentary audit today, has said there have been “no discussions” between Seoul and Washington on a North Korea-U.S. meeting so far.  

A presidential official said today, Trump could be gifted a replica of a Silla Dynasty (57 B.C. to A.D. 935) gold crown during his two-day state visit.  

Helicopters, armored vehicles and thousands of police were on standby around the Gyeongju Hwabaek International Convention Center (HICO), the summit’s main venue, and leaders’ lodgings on Tuesday as major leaders were set to arrive in the city over the coming days.  

Likewise, some 3,000 foreign journalists were expected to gather at the APEC International Media Center in Gyeongju to cover the leaders’ meeting. This year’s APEC takes place under the theme of “Building a Sustainable Tomorrow“. The 21 members of APEC, founded in 1989, account for more than 50% of global GDP.  

Team Maverick