Trump Raises Allegations on Social Media Before Summit,
Sparking Widespread Speculation
President Lee Actively Addresses Concerns During Summit
Trump: "Confident the Investigation Was Properly Concluded"
Potential Fallout Defused
Just before the South Korea-US summit, President Donald Trump raised suspicions via social media. In response, President Lee Jaemyung explained, "A special prosecutor appointed by the National Assembly is currently conducting a factual investigation." President Trump replied, "In that case, I believe I may have misunderstood," effectively defusing a situation that could have escalated.
On August 25 (local time), during the South Korea-US summit held in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., President Trump said, "I heard there was a raid on a church in South Korea," adding, "If that's true, it would not be a good thing. I thought it might not have actually happened in South Korea."
President Lee actively clarified the facts regarding the suspicion. He stated, "To put it simply, as you know, it has not been long since South Korea overcame the turmoil caused by a palace coup," and added, "Regarding the insurrection, a factual investigation is being conducted by a special prosecutor appointed and led by the National Assembly."
He continued, "Although it is not under my control, what the South Korean prosecution is doing is fact-checking and verifying facts. They did not directly investigate US troops, but rather seem to be investigating how the control system of the South Korean military functioned in that context," adding, "I will explain in more detail later."
After hearing President Lee's explanation, President Trump said, "In that case, I am confident it was a misunderstanding," but added, "However, it is true that there are rumors circulating about a raid on a church. I am confident that the investigation was concluded properly."
Earlier, three hours before the summit, President Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social, asking, "What is happening in South Korea?" and commented, "It looks like a purge or a revolution." He also wrote, "We cannot do business in South Korea."
As this social media post spread, there was widespread speculation about the target and purpose of his remarks. The presidential office also stated that a significant amount of fake news was circulating and conveyed a cautious stance, saying, "We will verify the facts quickly."
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