Not Just Once... President Lee Labeled as "Prime Minister" in Diplomatic Blunder

Labeled as "Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea" in White House Live Broadcast
Trump Also Refers to "Prime Minister" on Social Media

President Lee Jae-myung is greeting U.S. President Donald Trump, who arrived at Gyeongju Museum in Gyeongsangbuk-do on the 29th for the Korea-U.S. summit meeting. Photo by Yonhap News

The White House referred to President Lee Jaemyung as the "Prime Minister" in the live broadcast of the Korea-U.S. summit held the previous day. On October 30, U.S. President Donald Trump also shared the outcomes of the summit on his social networking service (SNS), describing Lee as "a great Prime Minister."

Because the titles of national leaders differ from country to country, such mistakes in labeling often occur. However, errors of this nature on the diplomatic stage are considered serious breaches of diplomatic protocol. Moreover, as the same mistake was repeated not once but twice, there are growing criticisms that the United States lacks diplomatic respect.

Live broadcast video from the White House showing U.S. President Donald Trump meeting with the Prime Minister of South Korea. Screenshot from the White House YouTube channel.

On October 29, the official White House YouTube channel streamed about 12 minutes of opening remarks from the Korea-U.S. summit in real time, with the title "President Trump Attends Bilateral Meeting with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea." Only after the live broadcast ended was the title corrected to "President of the Republic of Korea."

At around 6:19 a.m. on October 30, President Trump’s SNS post once again referred to Lee as the "Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea." The final part of the post summarizing the results of the summit read, "A great Prime Minister and a great visit." This sentence has since been corrected to "President of the Republic of Korea."

US President Donald Trump shared the outcomes of the summit on the 30th, referring to President Lee Jae-myung as the "Prime Minister." Photo by Trump Truth Social Capture

This is not the first time President Trump has misnamed a national leader. On October 13 (local time), during a gathering of world leaders for the signing of a peace agreement on the Gaza Strip, Trump referred to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as "President." When Carney responded, "I'm glad to be promoted," Trump replied confidently, "Did I? At least I didn't call you governor."