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President Lee Jae-myung offers incense during a visit to the Memorial Tower at Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, on June 4. / Source: Yonhap News

As President Lee Jae-myung’s administration begins, attention is turning to when he might first meet with U.S. President Donald Trump. On his first day in office, June 4, President Lee began preparing to activate summit-level diplomatic channels, including a phone call with President Trump.

Looking at the schedule of upcoming major international meetings, a potential Korea-U.S. summit could take place as early as June 15–17 during the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada. With Canada, this year’s G7 chair, extending an invitation to South Korea, there is a possibility the two leaders could appear side by side for a photo opportunity.

If President Lee chooses not to attend the G7, another opportunity could come at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 24–25, where the two leaders could meet for the first time. According to NHK and other foreign media outlets, NATO has invited the leaders of four Indo-Pacific partner countries—South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand—to this year’s summit.

Leaders from these four countries have attended the NATO summit for the past three consecutive years since 2022. If President Lee confirms his attendance in The Hague, both a Korea-U.S. and a potential Korea-Japan summit could take place.

However, within the South Korean government, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there is caution regarding an early summit, especially given the Trump administration’s current hardline tariff stance toward Korea. With Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations still ongoing, the timing of a summit is likely to be adjusted accordingly.

At present, Trump’s "reciprocal tariffs" are under a temporary suspension until July 8. For the new Korean government, the priority is to negotiate either lower tariffs or exemptions during this grace period. Meeting with President Trump before completing these tariff talks could risk putting Korea at a disadvantage in negotiations.

During the election campaign, President Lee also expressed caution, saying, “There are many pending issues right now. We’re not fully prepared for APEC either, and time is very tight, so I think we should prioritize and attend only the most necessary and important international events.”

Beyond the tariffs, several complex issues need to be coordinated before any summit, including U.S. troop reductions in Korea, strategic flexibility, defense cost-sharing, and North Korea’s nuclear program.

Given President Trump’s preference for direct, top-down negotiations between leaders, it is essential for President Lee to thoroughly prepare the Korean government’s positions in advance.

A diplomatic source commented, “For President Lee to travel abroad and hold a Korea-U.S. summit just one week after taking office would be physically difficult. It’s better to first develop strong arguments around the mutual benefits of the Korea-U.S. alliance and then proceed with a summit when the time is right.”