Attention is drawn to the background as, unlike Korea, there has been no official announcement from the U.S. side a day after the first phone call between President Lee Jae-myung and U.S. President Donald Trump.
President Lee was inaugurated four days after his election victory, and the two leaders had a phone call for about 20 minutes at 9 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on the 6th (10 p.m. Korean time on the 6th). Immediately after the call, the South Korean presidential office disclosed the details and background of the conversation.
However, the White House and President Trump did not officially disclose the fact or content of the call until the afternoon of the 7th local time. There has been no mention of it in any press releases or spokesperson briefings, nor on President Trump’s frequently used Truth Social account.
On the 6th, Reuters reported, citing a White House official, that “President Trump invited President Lee Jae-myung to visit the U.S., and the two leaders plan to meet soon,” but this remained an unofficial confirmation.
Since the start of his second administration, President Trump has directly disclosed most of the phone call contents through Truth Social. However, he does not reveal all calls, and the decision to make them public varies depending on the call partner or the content.
For example, after a phone call with then-acting President Han Duck-soo in April, he directly stated, “We discussed the issue of defense cost sharing for U.S. troops in Korea,” but he did not introduce all calls of the same nature. Notably, he immediately introduced a call with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in mid-March on social media, but did not disclose the call with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on the 8th of last month.
Therefore, assessments suggest that it is not surprising that President Trump did not make any special announcements regarding the recent phone call with President Lee Jae-myung.
However, in diplomatic circles, attention is drawn to the relatively quiet stance of the Trump administration since the inauguration of the Lee Jae-myung government. The timing of the phone call was also three days after the election date, which differs somewhat from past instances where calls were typically made within 1 to 2 days right after elections.
Additionally, the fact that the White House delivered a message of containing China at the time of announcing its first stance on President Lee’s election was also viewed as unusual.
Some interpret that the U.S. side’s ‘low-key’ approach could be positive. If sensitive issues like defense costs or trade negotiations are disclosed before President Lee finalizes his government formation, it could increase the burden on diplomatic responses.
Meanwhile, diplomats are paying attention to the possibility of the first face-to-face meeting between President Lee Jae-myung and President Trump during the G7 summit to be held in Canada from the 15th to the 17th. It is expected that more specific messages regarding how the Trump administration perceives the Lee Jae-myung government will emerge at this event.