Trump Arrives in South Korea Amidst APEC Summit and North Korean Missile Test

U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in South Korea on Wednesday. On the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit being held in the southeastern city of Gyeongju, he is scheduled to hold high-level talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.

Trump departed from Tokyo aboard Air Force One on Wednesday morning and landed at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea. His communications advisor and Special Assistant to the President, Margo Martin, shared a video on the social media platform 'X' showing Air Force One being welcomed into South Korean airspace by two American and two Korean F-16 fighter jets.

This is President Trump's first Asian tour of his second term, during which the U.S. is expected to focus on major trade and investment agreements. According to the South Korean news agency Yonhap, Trump will meet with President Lee Jae-myung in Gyeongju on Wednesday. This will be their second summit within two months. All eyes are on the trade agreement initially agreed upon in July, which is expected to be finalized during this visit.

According to that framework agreement, South Korea will invest approximately $350 billion USD in the United States. In return, Washington had agreed to reduce the 'reciprocally' applied 25 percent tariff to 15 percent. However, the agreement has not yet been implemented due to disagreements over the details of the investment package.

Another significant part of Trump's visit to South Korea is the highly anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday. This will be the first face-to-face talks between the two leaders since 2019.

Meanwhile, North Korea claimed to have tested a sea-to-surface strategic cruise missile in the Yellow Sea on Tuesday, just before the U.S. President's visit. According to Yonhap, North Korea described it as a "demonstration of tactical deterrent capacity."

The news also mentioned that while Trump has shown openness to resuming talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Pyongyang has yet to respond. However, reports surfaced that North Korea tested a missile before Trump's arrival in South Korea.