President Lee returns to Korea after completing his arduous tour of Japan and the US...

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung returned home after a six-day, three-night trip. President Lee arrived at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, in the early hours of the 28th.
President Lee left Seoul on the 23rd and completed a busy schedule, stopping in Japan, Washington DC and Philadelphia.
Prior to his visit to the United States, he visited Japan and held a summit meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. This was the first meeting between the two leaders in two months since their meeting at the G7 summit in Canada in June.
The president expressed his desire to build a future-oriented Japan-Korea relationship, and adopted a joint statement for the first time in 17 years. In particular, he clearly stated his intention to continue the Kim Dae-jung-Obuchi Declaration adopted in 1998, and made clear his stance toward improving relations.
After the summit, the two leaders shared a friendly dinner and developed a mutual understanding through active communication through "shuttle diplomacy."
This is the first time that a foreign minister has chosen Japan as his first country for a bilateral diplomatic visit, excluding South Korea. Some observers believe this is a move that takes into consideration the US-led Japan-US-ROK security cooperation.
After completing his two-day, one-night visit to Japan, President Lee departed for the United States on the 24th. On the 25th (local time), he held his first summit meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and announced his intention to hold a summit with the United States.
The two leaders reaffirmed their alliance. They also shared views on strengthening economic and industrial cooperation, particularly in the shipbuilding industry, and the need for dialogue with North Korea.
Just before the meeting, President Trump's social media posts raised concerns that the talks might fall through, but the two leaders appeared friendly with each other.
Immediately after the meeting, President Lee held a business roundtable with business leaders from both countries to discuss ways to expand economic cooperation.
The next day, he visited Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C., and laid flowers to honor the veterans. He then traveled to Philadelphia and participated in the "MASGA (Make America Great Again)" event.
He toured the Hanwha Philly Shipyard, the iconic site of the "Make American Shipbuilding Great Again" project.
This marks a significant step forward on the front lines of U.S.-Korea shipbuilding cooperation, which has served as leverage in tariff negotiations.