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President Lee Jae-myung, visiting the U.S. to attend the United Nations General Assembly, holds a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump at a New York hotel on the 22nd of last month (local time). / Yonhap News

The Blue House has formed a dedicated working team to prepare for a potential golf meeting between President Lee Jae-myung and U.S. President Donald Trump, launching practical preparations for South Korea-U.S. golf diplomacy.

According to political circles on the 13th, the Blue House launched the working group late last month, shortly after President Lee concluded his tour of the U.S. and Mexico, to prepare for a prospective golf summit between the two leaders.

The move follows instructions given by President Trump to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles during the South Korea-U.S. summit on the 23rd of last month to schedule a golf outing with President Lee.

President Trump had previously promised a golf meeting with President Lee and the first lady during a dinner at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in June. During last month's summit, he reiterated his interest, asking after the first lady and noting, "How is the First Lady doing? We should get together for a round of golf."

While a specific schedule has yet to be finalized, the Blue House appears to have initiated preliminary preparations amid speculation that a meeting could take place around the Group of Twenty (G20) summit scheduled for Miami in December.

The working group is led by Blue House Chief of Protocol Kwon Hyuk-ki and brings together officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Presidential Security Service, the National Security Office, the Office of Protocol, and the Office of the Secretary for Culture and Sports. The team has reportedly held an in-person meeting already.

The team is reviewing past rounds of golf President Trump held with other world leaders to examine meeting formats, protocol, and security arrangements.

Once an itinerary is confirmed, the team plans to seek advice from the sports community, including the Korea Golf Association, to fine-tune details regarding attire and playing arrangements.

Given that President Trump frequently wears white or red caps embroidered with the capital letters "USA" during his rounds, officials are reportedly considering having President Lee wear a cap featuring "KOR" or the South Korean national flag, the Taegeukgi.

                                                                                                         Park Young-hoon