Presidential office criticized for haste over potential Trump meeting

President Yoon Suk Yeol is seen at a hotel in Lima, Peru during his visit to the country to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting on Saturday. (Yonhap)

South Korea’s bid to secure a surprise early meeting between President Yoon Suk Yeol and US President-elect Donald Trump on the occasion of Yoon’s trip to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the Group of 20 summits in South America, is now facing slim odds.

Last week, President Yoon’s office unexpectedly hinted at the possibility of a meeting between the South Korean leader and former US President Donald Trump before Yoon's return to Seoul. This uncertainty was cited as the reason for not confirming his exact return schedule. However, just days later, the presidential office shifted its position, stating that despite continuous efforts, a meeting between Yoon and the US President-elect now seems unlikely.

“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,” an official of the Korean presidential office 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. Trump is to be inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2025.

This was an apparent turnaround from the presidential office's stance a few days before.

On Tuesday, an official of the presidential office said that Yoon is likely to return to Seoul on Nov. 21 but there might be a chance of not arriving in Seoul on Nov. 21.

When asked about the possibility of Yoon meeting Trump on the occasion of his overseas trip, the official the same day said, "We are closely communicating with representatives of Trump over the matter."

To date, no South Korean president has held a one-on-one meeting with the US President-elect in the US. For example, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, each met their South Korean counterparts for the first time in March, April and May of the year they were inaugurated, respectively.

Syngman Rhee, the nation's first president, met the then-US President-elect Dwight Eisenhower in 1952 on the Korean Peninsula as the Korean War unfolded.

An expert, commenting on Yoon's office and its apparent haste in seeking an early meeting with Trump, told The Korea Herald that the move seems driven by pressure from Yoon's low approval ratings. The expert suggested that the administration might be lacking sufficient political assets, prompting it to push for new events, such as a meeting with Trump, as a way to bolster its standing.

"Yoon's approval rating remains low, meaning he lacks political assets he can mobilize, so I hope his administration would refrain from actions that might undermine the impetus of Seoul's foreign policy toward Washington," said Yoon Kwang-il, professor of political science and international relations at Sookmyung Women's University.

"I hope the administration does not go too far, from the standpoint of 'expectation management,'"

Another expert pointed to the presidential office's impatience in dealing with the matter.

"(Seoul) should only have opened up (about the Yoon-Trump meeting) if the chances of doing so were very high. Instead, (Seoul) made the matter known to the public in a hasty manner," said Eom Ki-hong, professor of political science at Kyungpook National University.

"What the Yoon administration should do is aim to consolidate conservative support by strengthening the alliance with the US and Japan. If that was really the administration's goal, the preparation should have been done properly."

Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is also in Lima for the APEC summit, told reporters Saturday that he would not go ahead with his plan to meet Trump before his inauguration in January, as Trump's transition team cited legal constraints that bar a US citizen from negotiating diplomatic matters.

Argentine President Javier Milei was reportedly the first foreign leader who met President-elect Trump at his residence in Florida on Thursday.

By Ji Da-gyum(dagyumji@heraldcorp.com)

Son Ji-hyoung(consnow@heraldcorp.com)