Pool Reports of August 25, 2025

In-town pool report #1 - EO signing

Good morning from a sunny day at the White House.

Pool is gathering for an executive order signing, which will be going out live. Color to come.

In-town pool report #2 - Oval Office

The pool entered the Oval Office at 10:48.

The President is sitting behind the desk with paper in front of him. He's flanked by people including Hegseth, Noem, Vance, and Bondi. He's speaking about crime right now.

It's going out live here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rlPfxyCnxHg

More to come.

In-town pool report #3 - color

The president began speaking at 10:48 when the pool entered. He spoke, mostly about crime, until 11 when he began signing orders (and continued speaking).

He read some details (about people detained in DC, encampments removed) from the paper on the desk.

He signed the first executive order, about ending cashless bail, at 11:02.

President Trump signed the next order, addressing cashless bail policies in DC specifically and holding people in federal facilities pre-trial, at 11:03.

The next order addressed crime and law enforcement in DC, including charging various federal law enforcement agencies with hiring additional personnel to surge officers to DC. The president signed it at 11:05. He said he thought Congress should codify this order, as well as the others.

He spoke about the autopen for a bit before signing the fourth order at 11:10. The order cracks down on flag burning, the president said. It charges the DOJ with investigating and prosecuting instances of flag burning, when the actions violate the First Amendment.

A few quotes:
"In the last 11 days we've had no murders. And that's the first time that's taken place in years"

"We are at a point where Washington is booming again"

"We're going to also beautify Washington"

"Congress has said that they'll give us whatever money is needed"

"Look at that, it's a solid gold trophy. They know how to get to me" in reference to the World Cup trophy, sitting to his left.

"It's a disaster, what's going on in Chicago"

"This [DC] is one of the safest cities in the world right now"

He asked Pam Bondi if she'd like to speak. She's speaking now about crime in DC. More to come.

In-town pool report #4 - more remarks.

The president was presented with an honorary US Marshall's badge and handcuff key "to continue unhandcuffing law enforcement" by Director Serralta.

The president spoke some more, mostly more about crime in Washington, and then asked Terry Cole to speak, and then Vice President Vance to speak.

The president kept speaking at 11:17.

"Our military, as you know, during the campaign, nobody was signing up"

The President asked Stephen Miller to speak at 11:20. He spoke about crime in DC too, saying they're in the process of uncovering a crime coverup by city officials.

Sec. Kristi Noem spoke for a couple minutes about the DHS involvement in DC, and the recruitment campaign for ICE. Sec. Pete Hegseth spoke also.

The president is still speaking.

In-town pool report #5 - questions

The president took questions starting at 11:35:

"We're ready to go anywhere" — in response to whether he's deploying troops to Chicago

On Kilmar Abrego Garcia: "through a system of liberal courts he's doing things, but we've got that under control"

He took a question on Israel bombing a hospital in Gaza, and on what he meant by his Truth Social post about South Korea, and on whether he'll order the national guard into cities even if officials don't request that.

"We will solve Chicago within one year week"

Other questions:
- response to CA redistricting
- government deal with Intel
- Ukraine support/selling missiles to NATO
- whether he's spoken to Putin "yeah, I have"
- bridge funding for Key Bridge in Baltimore
- investigating Chris Christie
- why Putin won't meet with Zelenskyy
- on the relationship between North Korea and Russia

Says the police officer who warned people off the bridge should get a medal.

On decreasing the cost of drugs: "we're talking a thousand percent decrease"
"If countries of the world don't want to go along then I'm going to put" more tariffs

He stopped taking questions at 12:06 and the pool left the Oval.

Before questions:

Marco Rubio entered the Oval Office at 11:29 and stood toward the side, speaking with Karoline Leavitt. He left the room a minute later.

The president spoke for a while about wars around the world. "We got seven of them stopped"

More quotes from the president:
"As Department of War, we won everything … and I think we're going to have to go back to that"

"We've stopped them all" (wars)

The president spoke again about crime, saying Govs Moore and Newsom "are doing a bad job"

In-town pool report #6 - arrival

The South Korean president arrived around 12:30 but your pool wasn't there. Pool is waiting to head in now.

In-town pool report #7 - Bilat

Pool entered the oval at 12:40.

President Trump and President Lee Jae-myung are sitting in chairs in front of the fireplace, with staff on the couches. Susie Wiles is sitting opposite them, and Steve Witkoff is standing to the side.

This is live as well: https://www.whitehouse.gov/live/

More color to come.

In-town pool report #8 - comments

President Trump began speaking at 12:40about ship building. He stopped speaking at 12:44, and a translator spoke. President Lee spoke at 12:47, alternating with a translator.

"I heard that you redecorated the Oval Office, and it looks very bright and beautiful."

"America's role not as a keeper of peace but as a maker of peace is emerging more evidently"

He stopped speaking at 12:51 and Trump began again.

"Kim Jong Un and I had a very great relationship… and still do"

They're still speaking at 12:55. More to come.

Lutnick, Rubio, and Vance are on the couch.

In-town pool report #9 - questions

President Lee: "I hope that you will usher in a new era of peace on the Korean Peninsula"

"The only person that can make progress on this issue is you, Mr. President. If you become the peacemaker, then I will assist you by being a pacemaker"

At 12:58 they shook hands and Trump asked for questions

Questions on these topics: (Answers from President Trump)
- meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy
"I think it's appropriate they meet. They do not get along well"
Says Putin coming to the US was "a big concession."
"We'll see what happens after a week or two and at that point I'll step in"

- when he might meet with Kim Jong Un
- whether he's considering reducing the number of troops in South Korea
- how to make the South Korea-US alliance greater

- whether Trump would go back to the DMZ, and if so, when
"I'd like to meet him this year" (Kim Jong Un)
"President Xi would like me to come to China this year"
"We're going to allow their [China's] students to come in"

They're still taking questions at 1:14. More to come.

In-town pool report #10 - questions end

More questions on: (answers from President Trump). Check quotes against transcript.

- whether he'd considering sending the National Guard into red cities seeing high crime.
"Sure, but there aren't that many"

- when he'll deploy troops to Chicago, and how long they'll remain in Washington

"Between us, I think we're going to change the name" of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. "Probably that change is going to be made over the next week"

- whether Trump thinks there are two countries (North and South) or one unified Korea. He says two.

- asked about his comments on Truth Social about South Korea

- UN report about famine in Gaza
"Nobody can forget October 7…. With that being said, it's gotta get over with"

- whether he plans to attend APEC in South Korea
"We'll be going there fairly soon"

- ship building/"Make American Ships Great Again"
"We're going to be making our own ships again soon"

- raid on John Bolton's home and whether more raids are coming
"I don't know …. They raided my house, I can tell you that" … "they raided Mar A Lago, they started that"

- whether there's something to discuss regarding cooperation with Japan
- whether there's a diplomatic push about Gaza. Trump called on Rubio who said, "it has to end with no Hamas." Witkoff cited Trump's post on Truth Social last week. "He's the man who moves it" (check quote)

Answers from President Lee:
- on Trump's comments about raids on churches and a US base
"It hasn't been long since Korea has overcome the political turmoil" over the coup
"They did not conduct a search and seizure of US bases"

- on cooperation with Japan
"Better Korea-Japan relationship is important for the Korea-US relationship as well"
"Because I know…that you put emphasis on trilateral cooperation, before coming to the US I visited Japan"
"When I visited Japan… I realized that many of the obstacles that existed between our two countries have now been removed"

They stopped taking questions at 1:35 and pool left the Oval.

In-town pool report #11 - lunch lid
[APP Note: This is the first of two reports numbered 11.]

The White House called a lunch lid until 3pm.

(Note from the Oval, US Trade Rep Jamison Greer and Energy Secretary Chris Wright were standing next to Steve Witkoff, behind Vance.)

In-town pool report #11 - President Lee left
[APP Note: This is the second of two reports numbered 11.]

President Lee's SUV pulled away from the White House at 3:18.

There's nothing else on President Trump's public schedule this afternoon.

In-town pool report #12 - gathering

Pool is gathering now.

In-town pool report #13 - Oval

Pool entered the Oval at 3:50. The president is sitting at the desk with a folder in front of him and about 35 people standing behind him, one wearing a Make America Great Again hat. Vice President Vance is here.

The president is speaking now - more TK. He says "these people have been with me a long time, since Abbeygate"

He's signing a proclamation, he says.

In-town pool report #14 - proclamation

The president started speaking at 3:51.

Today is the 4 year anniversary of the Abbey Gate bombing.

"We're four years into this nightmare"

"There are some great souls who are looking down on you right now"

Trump signed the proclamation at 3:56. "Thank you, sir," said one woman, when he held up the signed proclamation.

Trump took questions at 3:57. Topics:

1. whether he's satisfied with the speed of the investigation into the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The president asked Hegseth to answer.
"These families deserve answers. … I would anticipate middle of 2026"

Trump began speaking again: "we're going to talk for a little while" about the people who died that day

He invited VA Sec Doug Collins to speak at 3:59.

The president asked Vance to speak at 4pm.
"I know days like these can't make the hurt go away" but says "we're proud of your loved ones" and "this is the rectification of a wrong"

Vance hugged the woman next to him after he finished speaking.

Another question on whether he's considering a streamlined service for care for veterans:
Trump: "nobody loves our vets more than me"
Collins: "we're making sure that what was bogged up in a bureaucratic system we're streamlining"

Trump started speaking again at 4:03.

"We're just going to do it," he said in response to a question about renaming the Department of Defense without an act of Congress. "Defense is too defensive"

On talks with President Lee:
"I think we have a deal done … they're going to make the deal that we agreed to make"

It looks like there's a purple bruise visible on the back of the president's right hand.

More to come

In-town pool report #15 - final comments

The president is still speaking at 4:06.

"These countries respect us for doing it. They couldn't believe what they got away with," he says, referencing deals with European countries.

The president thanked the press at 4:07 and the pool left the Oval.

Here's an Otter: https://otter.ai/u/jsy5DJbHQ7ZPe6-T3OdPvSTTYa0

In-town pool report #16 - full quotes

Here are some full quotes.

President Trump: "Thank you very much. This is a very special group of people. I've been with them from the beginning. Abbey Gate, you know, Abby gate. One of the dumbest days in the history of our country by a previous administration, getting out of a place that we shouldn't have been. At a minimum, they should have been at Bagram, the big field where we have hundreds of acres around it. Nobody's going to get near it."

"They've been with me, and I've been with them 100% and we meet more than once a year. Actually, I think our all-time meeting was in Bedminster when we played music late into the night. They thought I'd be there maybe for five minutes, maybe not at all, and I showed up for like four hours. We're listening to music all night long, and they were all crying because they lost their loved ones."

"It's a four year anniversary, so we're signing a proclamation honoring them and honoring you and honoring your loved one."

"We're four years now into this nightmare, just a nightmare. I think that that date also helped start the war with Putin and Ukraine, because he saw how incompetent our military was under Biden and under Milley and all these dopes, these dopey people, and that's not our military. You see what our military is now, we knock the hell out of people if we have to, or we settle because they don't want to play games with us, but I just want to say I'm really honored to be with you again ... and your loved ones are looking down and they're very proud."

He spoke a bit about the Oval Office redecorating. "We had an oval office which was still the Oval Office, so I don't want to disrespect it, but now it's very special."

"We did a little thing with Pete [Hegseth] about Secretary of War today, and it seemed to be well received. We'll do it a couple of more times, and if everyone likes it, we'll make that change. Pete, you'll decide."

QUESTION: The defense secretary has ordered a review of the Afghanistan withdrawal that is ongoing. I'm curious if you have any update on that review and for the families, I know there was frustration with previous investigations on Capitol Hill. Are you satisfied with the speed of this investigation thus far?
Sec. Hegseth: "As far as what happened in Afghanistan, the military needs to answer for what's happened in Afghanistan. So upon the President's direction, immediately, we initiated an investigation, which showed that there needed an even deeper dive. So Sean Parnell, our Pentagon spokesman, who himself is an Afghanistan veteran, is leading this effort." ... "I would anticipate middle of 2026, that's how thorough of a review we're doing, hopefully a little bit sooner, but we're going into everything in understanding what happened."

VP Vance: "We're so proud of your loved ones for giving their life for our country. I think importantly today, this is a rectification of a wrong, the fact that the President of the United States lost your loved ones through incompetence, but never acknowledged it, and your government never actually put pen to paper to say we're grateful for your sacrifice. We correct that wrong today, and we're gonna keep on fighting to understand, as Pete said, What happened so it never happens to another family again."

QUESTION: Mr. President, following your meeting with President Lee of South Korea, did you end up talking about trade, and did you reach any conclusion?

Trump: "Yeah, I think we have a deal done. They had some problems with it, but we stuck to our guns. We are going to, they're going to make the deal that they agreed to make."

"it's the biggest deal they've ever made by far, but it's one of the biggest deals ever made. The biggest deal ever made is the one with the European nations. As you know, the Europe deal is the biggest deal ever made. I think it's the biggest deal ever made, period. And, they pay us $950 billion coming into this country and lots of other things. They're going to buy $750 billion worth of our oil and gas and all of the other things."

"we're just doing the right thing, and it's making our country rich and beautiful, and it's very important. I felt so foolish for years watching this take place. You know, we did it in my first term with China. We took in hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs, but when covid came back, we focused on that."

Thanks to Kellie for this:
Responses to Kellie Meyer's Q on care for veterans affected by burn pits:
Trump: "We take good care of our vets. Nobody loves our vets more than me."

VA Secretary Doug Collins: "We're streamlining following Congress' direction, but we're also adding more services …we're streamlining our backlog under Trump's direction…That backlog under Biden was up over 260,000. We're down now. Mr. President I can tell you that we're down under 150,000 in just a little over six months...streamlining it so they get that care quicker."
Q TO POTUS: "On the Department of War - how do you plan to do that, it requires an act of Congress to rename the Defense Department to the Department of war?
A: "We're just gonna do it" POTUS TOLD NEWSNATION.
"I'm sure Congress will go along if we need that I don't think we even need that, but uh, if we need that I'm sure Congress will go along. You know that was the name when we won WW1, we WW2, we won everything. To me, seems like a much more appropriate... The other is defense is too defensive. We want defensive, but we want to be offensive too if we have to be. So it just sounded to me better."

Around 4:25, your pooler saw about a dozen of the people from the Oval Office proclamation signing pass the windows of the press room. Most of them were carrying white Trump hats.

In-town pool report #17 - lid

We have a lid at 6pm.

Have a nice evening!

Foreign Pool Report #1 Background on South Korea President Lee Jae-myung's Visit

Hello, 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo) ,
I'm glad to be your foreign pooler for South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's visit to the White House.

President Lee embarked on a six-day, two-nation trip to Japan and the U.S. on Aug. 21. He arrived at Joint Base Andrews on Aug. 24, accompanied by South Korean First Lady Kim Hye-kyung. The South Korean Embassy has confirmed to your pooler that U.S. First Lady Melania Trump will not be present at the White House during this visit.

Today marks President Lee's first meeting with President Trump, 82 days after taking office on June 4. A South Korean official told your pooler that President Lee views this trip as the first major step in advancing his vision of "pragmatic diplomacy." This two-leg trip to Tokyo and Washington represents his first set of bilateral engagements abroad and is designed to lay the foundation for his foreign policy agenda.

On the U.S. side, a White House official said that President Trump looks forward to hosting South Korean President Lee Jae-myung at the White House. The two leaders are expected to discuss North Korea, defense posture, trade barriers, maritime security, American shipbuilding, energy dominance, and more.

White House Schedule:

• 12:00 PM — The President greets the President of the Republic of Korea
• 12:15 PM — The President participates in a bilateral meeting with the President of the Republic of Korea
• 12:45 PM — The President participates in a bilateral lunch with the President of the Republic of Korea

After the White House talks, Lee will attend a business roundtable with top corporate executives from both countries. He was accompanied by a business delegation including Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung and LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo.

On Aug. 25 at 6:15 p.m. ET, President Lee Jae-myung will deliver remarks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Statesmen's Forum. Watch live: https://www.csis.org/events/statesmens-forum-his-excellency-lee-jae-myung-president-republic-korea
The event is followed by a dinner with leading U.S. opinion makers.

On Aug. 26, President Lee will pay his respects at the Arlington National Cemetery for a wreath-laying ceremony.In the afternoon, he will depart Washington D.C. for Philadelphia where Lee will visit the Seo Jae-pil Memorial Hall, honoring the Korean independence movement leader. Capping off his U.S. visit, President Lee's final schedule will be at the Philly Shipyard, highlighting the shipbuilding sector as a symbol of Korea–U.S. cooperation and in light of MASGA ( Make American Shipbuilding Great Again ). He will also take part in the christening of the ship "State of Main" built by Korea's own Hanwha Ocean for the U.S. Maritime Administration.

Key Topics and Background of the Summit
Top South Korean officials have already arrived in DC last week for a final push to shape the agenda of this summit. Notably, South Korea Foreign Minister Cho Hyun skipped President Lee's visit to Japan to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio last Friday.

According to the South Korean Embassy in the U.S., President Lee specifically aims to:

• Stabilize economic and trade relations with the U.S., ensuring a steady and mutually beneficial partnership.
• Modernize the 73-year Korea–U.S. security alliance, adapting it to contemporary regional and global challenges.
• Pioneer new areas of cooperation between the two countries, with particular emphasis on industries such as shipbuilding, where both nations can pursue innovative and strategic collaboration.

On the U.S. side, officials have highlighted priorities such as:

• Greater collective burden-sharing
• Revitalizing American manufacturing
• Restoring fairness and reciprocity in the trade relationship

South Korean media interpret these priorities as pointing to complex talks on "strategic flexibility" for U.S. forces in Korea—a sensitive issue given Seoul's management of ties with China.

Seoul is reportedly seeking to revise the bilateral nuclear energy agreement to allow fuel reprocessing, a step Washington has long resisted over non-proliferation concerns.

Why this summit matters now: According to Victor Cha, CSIS Korea Chair, this is a pivotal meeting for South Korea—not only because the United States is its key ally, but because of Seoul's domestic political crisis last December (the declaration of martial law, subsequent impeachment, and snap elections) left the new government roughly six months behind other capitals in engaging the Trump administration's fast-moving agenda since January.

Since President Lee's election in June, the two leaders have not met. An attempted side meeting at the G7 in Canada fell through when President Trump departed early due to the Iran operation. The NATO leaders' summit in The Hague was the next window, but President Lee chose not to attend. From there, the relationship became dominated by the reciprocal tariff deadline. Throughout July, South Korea's national security and trade teams shuttled to Washington to seek a deal. As Victor Cha notes, ROK officials even tracked down U.S. counterparts in Europe to continue negotiations after official meetings and dinners.

Tariffs and Shipbuilding
South Korea and the United States reached a trade agreement on July 30 that set a 15% IEEPA baseline tariff and a 15% tariff on automobiles and auto parts—down from the 25% reciprocal rate that would have taken effect on Aug. 1.

In return, Seoul has pledged up to $350 billion in U.S. investments. Secretary Lutnick noted on X that South Korea also agreed to purchase $100 billion in liquefied natural gas (LNG) and other U.S. energy products over the next 3.5 years. The White House says that when President Lee Jae-myung visits, he and President Trump will announce major new U.S. investments by South Korean companies.

In a statement, President Lee explained that the $350 billion fund—part of the overall package—will serve as a foundation for bilateral strategic-industry cooperation, helping Korean firms expand in U.S. markets where Korea is strong: shipbuilding, semiconductors, secondary batteries, biotechnology and energy. Of the pledged investment, $150 billion will go toward Seoul's shipbuilding cooperation initiative.

In an op-ed, Lee Joon-ho, chargé d'affaires at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the U.S., highlighted fast-deepening shipbuilding ties. Korea now accounts for 30% of global shipbuilding (second to China) and built 197 ships last year. One example is Hanwha Ocean's acquisition of Philly Shipyard. Since the takeover, operations have stabilized, workers are being retrained, and smart manufacturing is being introduced.

In 2024 goods trade, U.S. exports to Korea were $65.6B; imports $131.6B; the U.S. goods deficit $66.0B.

In a recent foreign-policy speech, President Lee described the U.S.–ROK negotiations as a "wave" in the storm, warning of continued turbulence and calling for sustained investment in semiconductors, AI, and clean energy to buffer against global volatility.

U.S.–ROK Alliance Modernization
Forged in war and codified by the 1953 Mutual Defense Treaty, the alliance anchors deterrence on the Korean Peninsula and stability across the Indo-Pacific. The treaty commits both sides to consult when either's security is threatened and enables a sustained U.S. force presence in Korea.

According to the State Department, approximately 28,500 U.S. military personnel are stationed in South Korea, working closely with the ROK military and United Nations Command member states to deter and defend against North Korea and to uphold the Korean Armistice Agreement.

This year, the United States and South Korea kicked off Ulchi Freedom Shield '25 on Aug. 18, running through Aug. 28. The exercise involves about 21,000 troops in total, including about 18,000 from the ROK.

Under the current Special Measures Agreement (SMA), Seoul contributes over $1 billion annually in host-nation support. South Korea also funded about 90% of the cost of building Camp Humphreys, the largest U.S. military base overseas.

President Trump has asked the U.S. ally to increase its defense spending to 5% of GDP and to expand cost-sharing; South Korea currently spends about 3.5% of GDP on defense.

US-ROK-Japan Trilateral
President Lee Jae Myung met Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo on the 23rd right before flying to Washington D.C. The two leaders announced the first joint statement by their countries in 17 years.

It was President Lee's second in-person meeting with Ishiba. Lee called his visit to Tokyo an opportunity to solidify the foundation for "future-oriented" ties as this year marks the 60th anniversary of the normalization of their diplomatic relations.

In a joint written interview, President Lee told the Japanese press that Korea-Japan relations simultaneously contain aspects of confrontation, cooperation and mutual tolerance. What's important is to identify as many mutually beneficial elements as possible. There is no need to abandon the beneficial aspects because of certain negative ones, according to the interview.

Katrin Fraser Katz, an adjunct fellow with the CSIS Korea Chair, said President Lee has effectively returned to a two-track approach: separating historical grievances stemming from Japan's colonization of Korea from a future-oriented agenda of bilateral cooperation with Japan on the economy, shared security threats, and people-to-people ties.

During his meeting with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Lee said, "I believe developing and strengthening Japan–South Korea relations benefits not only our two countries but the region as a whole. It is very important to deepen cooperation among Japan, South Korea, and the United States."

New Approach to North Korea
A week before this summit, South Korea Unification Ministry announced the South Korean government would shift its approach toward North Korea from the "Unification Doctrine" of the previous administration to rebuild trust across the border.

On the President's liberation Day address on August 15th, President Lee made three commitments: to respect the North Korean regime, no unification through subjugating the North, and no hostile acts.

Speaking at a parliamentary committee on foreign affairs and unification, South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young called for trust-building measures through reviving military communication, and the 2018 deal on de-escalating border tensions with the North. He cautioned that dialogue may take time to materialize. At the same session, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Lee's dovish approach will be anchored in close coordination with the United States. Pursuing inter-Korean dialogue in parallel with U.S.–North Korea talks, Seoul and Washington aim to reaffirm a unified stance and create conditions for renewed negotiations. Seoul envisions a phased denuclearization process—freeze, then reduce, and ultimately dismantle North Korea's nuclear program.

However, Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, quickly dismissed this, saying the North won't see the South as a diplomatic partner while U.S.–ROK drills continue. That signals no immediate opening from the North.

Bio
Lee Jae-myung is a controversial political figure known for his remarkable personal journey. Born into a poor family , he worked as a child laborer in a factory and suffered a workplace injury leaving him with a lifelong disability in his left arm.

He later earned a law degree on scholarship and became a human-rights lawyer, entering politics in 2005. He served as Mayor of Seongnam(2010–2018) and Governor of Gyeonggi Province(2018–2021). He won a seat in the National Assembly in June 2022 and was elected leader of the Democratic Party of Korea in August 2022.

He first ran for president in 2022 as the candidate of the Democratic Party but narrowly lost . In 2025, he ran again and was elected president after a closely contested race.

In January 2024, Lee survived a knife attack during a public event and underwent surgery for a neck injury. Politically aligned with the progressive camp, Lee's leadership and policy positions have sparked both support and debate across South Korean society.

Foreign Pool Report #2 POTUS Post on ROK

Hours before meeting President Lee of South Korea, President Trump just posted on his Truth Social : "WHAT IS GOING ON IN SOUTH KOREA? Seems like a Purge or Revolution. We can't have that and do business there. I am seeing the new President today at the White House. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!"
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115089605510353605

Foreign Pool Report #3 POTUS Explained His Post on ROK

After the EO signing, President Trump answered your pooler's question on his truth social post on South Korea.https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115089605510353605
Question: What was he referring to?

He answered: Well, I heard that there were raids on churches over the last few days, very vicious raids on churches by the new government in South Korea, that they even went into our military base and got information. They probably shouldn't have done that, but I heard bad things. I don't know if it's true or not. I'll be finding out. As you know, your new president's coming in just a couple of hours, coming forward to meeting him, but we won't stand for that. We just won't stand for that.

Foreign Pool Report #4 Arrival of President Lee

President Lee's motorcade arrived at the White House at 12:32pm. An honor cordon of U.S. service members lined the driveway and rendered honors as the vehicle pulled in.

South Korean Delegation:

• H.E. Cho Hyun, Minister of Foreign Affairs
• H.E. Kim Jung-kwan, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy
• Mr. Kang Hoonsik, Chief of Staff to the President
• Mr. Wi Sung-lac, Director of National Security
• Mr. Kim Yongbeom, Director of National Policy
• Amb. Lee Joon-ho, Chargé d'Affaires ad interim to the United States of America
• Mr. Lim Woongsoon, Second Deputy Director of National Security
• H.E. Kang Kyung-wha, Special Delegation (Former Minister of Foreign Affairs)

Pool is now gathered for the Oval spray.

Foreign Pool Report #5 Oval Meeting- President Lee

Pool entered the oval office around 12:40pm, the two leaders were already seated. President Lee spoke in Korean with consecutive English interpretation.

Here are some highlights of his remarks (please make sure to check against the transcript)

The ROK-U.S. Relations

America's role not as a keeper of peace, but a maker of peace. it's emerging more evidently. Wars in Europe, in Asia, in Africa, and in the Middle East are coming to peace because of the role that you are playing. So among the many world leaders, I I believe that you are the only leader who has made such accomplishments.

DPRK

The only remaining divided nation in the world is the Korean peninsula. And I would like to ask for your role in establishing peace on the Korean peninsula. So I look forward to your meeting with chairman kim jong un, and construction of trump tower in north korea and playing golf. I believe he will be waiting for you.

Mr president, you mentioned about chairman kim and thanks to your efforts when you were in office during your first term, the situation on the korean peninsula was stable, but when you were out of office, north korea developed further its nuclear and missile capability, and that led to a deterioration on the situation of the korean peninsula.

Resolving this issue through my engagement is not an easy thing. The only person that can make progress on this issue is you, Mr president

If you become the peacemaker, then I will assist you by being a pacemaker

China Visit

President Trump joked about going to visit China with President Lee.

In response to your pooler's question on whether he would accept President Trump's invitation to go to China, Lee said " I would like to go"

President trump then said "if you like to go, i'm gonna get special permission. I'm sure you can go."

South Korea Raids?

It hasn't been long since Korea has overcame the political turmoil following as a self coup by the former president. Currently, there is a fact finding investigation by a special prosecutor that was appointed by the national assembly.

The special prosecutor is not under my control. The special prosecutor is conducting a fact finding investigation. I would like to explain about what you said aboutt he U.S. basis. They did not conduct a search and seizure of american basis, but they looked into the control, the chain of command and the control system of the korean military.

ROK-Japan Relations

The cooperation among Korea, the US and Japan is a very important and better Korea. Japan relations is also important for the Korea, us relationship as well.

Because I know that President Trump that you put emphasis on trilateral cooperation, right? I paid a visit to Japan before coming to the us to settle the difficult issues that we have this.

When I visited Japan and met with prime minister Ishiba, I realized that many of the obstacles that existed between our two countries have now been removed.