A high-stakes summit with Trump

Historic summit: People watching a TV screen showing a file image of Lee and Trump during a news programme in Seoul. — AP

New president Lee Jae-myung will face a pivotal moment when he meets US President Donald Trump in Washington for their first summit, as the countries’ decades-old alliance strains to confront rapid geopolitical changes.

Much is riding on the meeting for Lee, who took office in June after a snap election called after his conservative predecessor – feted in Washington for his hard line on North Korea – was removed for attempting to impose martial law.