Lee expected to hold phone call with Trump as early as Thursday

President Lee Jae-myung is expected to hold a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump as early as Thursday (Korean time), according to diplomatic sources.

The two governments are currently arranging for their leaders to speak by phone, the sources said Wednesday.

During a press briefing Wednesday evening, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung also said it is “unlikely that the call will take place tonight due to the time difference,” adding that “coordination efforts are still ongoing.”

The phone talks, if held, would mark the first call between Trump and Lee, former Democratic Party leader elected president for a five-year term.

The call would naturally focus on congratulating Lee on his presidential win and reaffirming the bilateral alliance and cooperation, but thorny issues could also arise as part of the Trump administration’s campaign to raise tariffs and defense cost-sharing from allies.

Diplomatic circles predict that the two state leaders could hold their first summit in the United States as early as July or August, citing similar precedents between the two countries.

The Group of Seven summit, scheduled for June 15-17 in Canada, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, set for June 24-25 in the Netherlands, are also being cited as possible occasions for Lee and Trump to meet for the first time.

The leaders of South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand have reportedly been invited to the NATO summit.