Speculation rises as to whether Lee will meet Trump on sidelines of summit
President Lee Jae Myung began the final leg of his trip to Europe on Tuesday, bound for Evian-les-Bains, France for the Group of Seven Summit, held just as the anticipation grows for an end to the war in the Middle East.
Lee’s trip there from Tuesday to Wednesday comes as South Korea seeks to expand its role on the international stage and amid rising speculation about US President Donald Trump’s intentions regarding North Korea.
Lee will kick off his official activities at the G7 meeting upon his arrival Tuesday in the town on the shores of Lake Geneva in eastern France.
South Korea is one of the partner countries invited to this year’s G7 summit, along with Brazil, Egypt, India and Kenya.
Before attending the summit, Lee wrote on X Tuesday that South Korea is “no longer a country that simply follows change, but one that creates change and leads the future.”
He added that he “will firmly safeguard our national interests and faithfully fulfill our responsible role in contributing to global peace and prosperity.”
This is Lee’s second appearance at the G7 in as many years and his first trip to France during his tenure.
“Being invited to the G7 Summit for the second consecutive year is a deeply meaningful testament to the trust and expectations that the international community places in the Republic of Korea,” Lee wrote on X Tuesday. The Republic of Korea is South Korea’s official name.
Before his arrival, the president made stops in Belgium, Italy and the Vatican as part of a 10-day trip to Europe.
National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said in a briefing in Italy Monday that Lee’s attendance at the G7 for a second straight year “will serve as an important opportunity to solidify South Korea’s standing in terms of its contribution to the resolution of global issues.”
The event will also allow South Korea to broaden its diplomatic horizons by seeking broader solidarity and cooperation with the international community, Wi said.
“South Korea is now called upon to play a greater role on a broader global stage,” he said. “South Korea’s diplomatic outreach will extend beyond the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia to Europe and the world.”
Lee attended the previous G7 summit, held in June 2025 in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, just a few weeks after his inauguration.
Lee’s attendance there served as a declaration to the world that the turbulent times in the wake of the martial law crisis in late 2024 had given way to the normalization of South Korean diplomacy.
Against this backdrop, all eyes are on whether Lee will hold talks with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the summit, aside from the sessions open to G7 partner countries on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Should Lee sit down for talks with Trump, it will be their first meeting since their talks last year on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju.
The presidential office is keeping the possibility of a bilateral summit open, but no concrete progress has yet been made, according to a senior Cheong Wa Dae official.
Prior to his departure for France, Lee welcomed the prospective peace deal between the US and Iran.
“This is an important step forward that the international community has been expecting for a long time,” Lee wrote on X. “I highly appreciate Trump’s leadership and the diplomatic efforts of the concerned parties for reaching the conclusion of the negotiations.”
He also expressed his anticipation for eased inflationary pressure on South Korea’s energy import-dependent economy, as well as the free passage of South Korean vessels in the Strait of Hormuz following the end of the war.
In addition to the agreement between Iran and the US, there has been rising speculation about the US and North Korea, fueled by Trump’s recent posting of a photograph of himself and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
On Sunday, Trump posted a photograph of himself with Kim during their summit in Singapore in 2018 on his social media account. While the post did not provide any further information, the photograph has been interpreted by some as a sign of his willingness to engage Pyongyang.
consnow@heraldcorp.com
