Former President Yoon Suk-yeol reportedly said that he immediately had a phone call with the U.S. president when he was elected. This statement seems to be a comparison to President Lee Jae-myung, who spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on the third day of his inauguration.
Jeon Han-gil, a former Korean history lecturer, revealed on his YouTube broadcast on the 9th that former President Yoon had a phone conversation with him and disclosed the conversation details. According to Jeon, former President Yoon said, “When I became president, I intended to go home and get some sleep as soon as I was elected, but then a call came in from the (then U.S. President Joe Biden), and I had to take it. Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials came to the residence and prepared everything, saying congratulations.”
President Lee had his first phone call with President Trump for about 20 minutes on the 6th. During the call, President Trump invited President Lee to the U.S., and President Lee expressed hopes for South Korea and the U.S. to frequently meet and consult as special allies, according to Kang Yoo-jung, the presidential office Spokesperson.
Regarding this, Jeon said, “Summarizing various media outlets, there are remarks that ‘the communication line might not be an official channel.’ There is a theory that it might have been just a private call, and a mutual acquaintance facilitated the conversation.” He questioned the manner in which the call was conducted.
As there was no report of President Lee speaking with President Trump immediately after taking office, some hardline conservatives spread a conspiracy theory that President Trump deliberately avoided a phone conversation with President Lee.
The U.S. Department of State disclosed on the 10th (local time) that President Lee and President Trump had a phone call, stating, “We are confident that our alliance will continue to thrive under President Lee's leadership.”
President Lee and President Trump are scheduled to attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada from the 15th to the 17th. It is expected that they will have their first face-to-face meeting at this event.