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Trump's early departure from G7 summit disrupts meeting plans with Korea's Lee

Published: 17 Jun. 2025, 17:25 Updated: 17 Jun. 2025, 18:30

SARAH KIM
[email protected]

President Lee Jae Myung, center, and first lady Kim Hea Kyung, center right, attend a dinner reception for leaders of countries invited to the G7 summit hosted by the governor general of Canada at a hotel in Calgary in Canada on June 16. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

CALGARY, Canada — Korean President Lee Jae Myung's much-anticipated first bilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump scheduled for Tuesday in Canada, meant to set the tone for future trade negotiations, was thwarted after the American leader decided to leave the Group of 7 (G7) summit early.

In a press briefing in Calgary late Monday, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac confirmed that the two leaders were initially slated to meet Tuesday on the margins of the G7 gathering. He said that the U.S. side had gotten in touch to ask for Korea's "understanding" over Trump's sudden departure ahead of schedule.

Lee arrived in Calgary, Alberta, earlier Monday for a three-day trip to participate in the G7 meeting and hold one-on-one talks with global leaders, marking Korea's return to summit diplomacy after a six-month vacuum.

However, to the surprise of global leaders, the White House announced Trump will leave the summit Monday night after a G7 leaders' dinner due to the Middle East situation, derailing Lee's plans to hold in-person talks with the U.S. president following up on their first phone call on June 6.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X that Trump will return to Washington to "attend to many important matters." The U.S. president had been expected to hold bilateral meetings with other G7 attendees, including Australia, on Tuesday.

However, Trump later wrote on his Truth Social platform as he left Canada that his departure for Washington had "nothing to do with" an Israel-Iran cease-fire and was "much bigger than that."

U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One at Calgary International Airport in Canada on June 16, leaving the G7 summit early to head back to Washington. [AP/YONHAP]

Trump earlier wrote in a Truth Social post that people in Tehran should "immediately evacuate" amid the escalating Israel-Iran conflict.

"Because President Trump suddenly returned to his country, the Korea-U.S. summit scheduled for tomorrow has become difficult," Wi told reporters. "We have received a call from the United States asking for understanding regarding this situation."
He said such scheduling issues can happen at multilateral summits, downplaying concerns over diplomatic gaffes.

A senior presidential official said that Lee had been informed about the U.S. situation immediately, and the president called to "push for another opportunity as soon as possible."

Lee and Trump could still meet later this month if both leaders attend the NATO summit in The Hague next week.

"If the president attends the NATO summit in late June, there is a possibility that a meeting will take place at that time," the presidential official said.

This is not the first time Trump exited early from a G7 summit, leaving the gathering in Quebec in 2018 for his first denuclearization talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore.

President Lee Jae Myung takes a question from a reporter aboard Air Force One en route to Calgary, Canada, to attend the G7 Summit on June 16. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

In a press conference on Air Force One en route to Canada earlier Monday, Lee told reporters that Korea "should not be in a more disadvantageous situation than other countries" regarding tariff negotiations with the United States.

"It is not desirable for diplomacy to benefit only one side and harm the other, so we must strive to create mutually beneficial results that benefit everyone," Lee told reporters aboard the presidential jet.

"Currently, working-level consultations on tariff issues are underway between the two sides," the presidential official said, noting that with a new trade negotiator in place, the communication process will "continue to be active" regardless of the delay in a first meeting between Lee and Trump.

Lee said he felt "relieved" when Korean businesspeople told him, "If we have the same conditions as other countries, we will be competing in the same field, so why not try?"

Korea launched on Monday a task force to deal with tariff negotiations with the United States and other related matters, headed by Lee's new top trade negotiator, Yeo Han-koo. This comes amid the looming July 8 deadline for completing trade negotiations, when the Trump administration's suspension of reciprocal tariffs expires.

President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hea Kyung, front row center, pose for a photo at a dinner reception for leaders of countries invited to the G7 summit hosted by the governor general of Canada at a hotel in Calgary in Canada on June 16. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Alongside a series of other bilateral meetings, Wi confirmed that President Lee will hold first talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday afternoon on the margins of the G7 summit in Kananaskis.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan, and the two leaders were expected to find common ground based on their first phone call.

"There are various problems between Korea and Japan and differences of opinion on pending issues, but by leading the overall atmosphere constructively, we can create conditions in which such differences of opinion can be more easily managed," the official said, calling for a "virtuous cycle" in relations.

Lee, after holding bilateral meetings Monday afternoon, attended a reception hosted by Canada's governor general, which was also attended by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and leaders of other guest countries, including South Africa and Australia.

BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]