Lee Jae Myung navigates global chaos in high-stakes 2025 foreign policy

December 9, 2025

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Lee Jae Myung navigates global chaos in high-stakes 2025 foreign policy

South Korea faces an expensive US alliance and a superficial reset with China as Tokyo’s political instability grows

ROK President Lee Jae Myung, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, DPRK leader Kim Jong Un with flags of the G20 nations in the background | Image: ROK Presidential Office (Sept. 24, 2025/Nov. 22, 2025), Prime Minister’s Office of Japan (Oct. 21, 2025), Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok (November 26, 2025), KCNA (Sept. 4, 2025), Rodong Sinmun (June 24, 2025), edited by Korea Pro

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung spent his first six months in office in near-constant motion on the world stage, launching his diplomatic agenda at the G7 Summit two weeks after his June inauguration and closing the year at the G20 in Johannesburg.

In between, he addressed the UN General Assembly, hosted APEC in Gyeongju and held bilateral meetings with leaders from 30 countries — including multiple summits with U.S. President Donald Trump, two Japanese prime ministers and his first meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

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