Troop costs, China in focus when South Korea's Lee meets Trump

South Korean soldiers take part in an anti-terror drill at the Foreign Ministry building in Seoul on August 19, 2025, on the sidelines of a major South Korea-US joint military exercise called the Ulchi Freedom Shield. US President Donald Trump is pushing for Seoul to pay significantly more for the 28,500 American troops stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War. - AFP

WASHINGTON/SEOUL: When South Korean President Lee Jae Myung meets US President Donald Trump next week for their first summit, he'll face calls to pay more for the upkeep of American troops on the peninsula with security issues expected to be among the top agenda items.

Left largely out of the frantic trade talks that culminated in an unwritten deal last month, questions over the future of the South Korea-US alliance and the approach to nuclear-armed North Korea will be a key part of the White House discussions, officials and analysts said.