Trump heads to South Korea to face trade talks and North Korean missiles

U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in South Korea on Wednesday (October 29) for the final stop of his Asia tour, with crucial meetings planned with Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung expected to dominate the diplomatic agenda.

Trump’s visit follows stops in Malaysia and Japan, where he signed a rare earths deal with Tokyo and secured expanded trade agreements across the region. He now faces a series of complex negotiations over trade, defence, and North Korea, as well as the broader geopolitical rivalry with China.

Stalled trade deal tops agenda

At the top of the talks with President Lee is the unresolved U.S.–South Korea trade agreement, initially announced in August. The deal was meant to spare Seoul from heavy tariffs in exchange for $350 billion in new investments in the United States. However, discussions have stalled over how those funds will be structured, with officials from both sides signalling that no final deal is likely this week.

Washington has also pushed Seoul to contribute more towards U.S. defence costs, while South Korea is seeking immigration reforms to enable more Korean workers to build factories in the U.S., following a raid on a Hyundai battery plant in Georgia earlier this year.

North Korea test casts shadow over visit

The summit comes just hours after North Korea test-fired a nuclear-capable cruise missile, prompting renewed concern about the peninsula’s stability.

“It is our responsible mission and duty to ceaselessly toughen the nuclear combat posture,” a North Korean official said, according to state media KCNA. The launch followed the North’s first ballistic missile test since May.

Trump is expected to raise the issue with Lee, as well as in his meeting with Xi. The U.S. president has repeatedly called for a face-to-face meeting with Kim Jong Un, reiterating his willingness to restart talks if Pyongyang shows interest. Kim has previously said he would only consider dialogue if Washington stopped pressuring him to denuclearise.

Trump to skip APEC summit

The South Korean city of Gyeongju, heavily secured by thousands of police and soldiers, will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum this week. While Trump will attend the APEC CEO summit and several bilateral meetings, he will skip the leaders’ summit scheduled for Friday and Saturday.

“Trump dislikes large international gatherings and prefers one-on-one meetings with key leaders,” said Christopher Padilla, senior adviser at the Brunswick Group in Washington. “But while the U.S. steps back, most of the world has continued to work through such institutions.”

Xi–Trump meeting to dominate

The much-anticipated meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, expected on Thursday, is likely to overshadow the rest of the APEC events. U.S. officials said negotiators from both countries agreed on a framework to pause steeper tariffs and Chinese rare earth export controls, sending Asian markets soaring earlier this week.

Trump’s trade strategy, however, has unsettled regional allies. Since taking office, he has vacillated on Taiwan, alternately affirming support for the island while seeking a trade deal with Beijing. Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said on Tuesday that Taipei is confident Trump “will not abandon” the island during talks with Xi.

Final leg of an intense regional tour

Trump’s Asia trip has been marked by a flurry of agreements and symbolic gestures. In Malaysia, he helped broker an expanded truce between Thailand and Cambodia, while in Tokyo he hailed Japan’s first female Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who pledged to accelerate military modernisation and proposed nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Tokyo also announced plans for $550 billion in U.S.-linked investments, loans, and guarantees, with Japanese firms eyeing a further $400 billion in projects tied to energy, artificial intelligence, and critical minerals.

The White House hopes to secure similar commitments from Seoul, though South Korea insists it cannot pay the full $350 billion upfront. Instead, it has proposed a phased investment plan combining loans and direct contributions.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun hinted that a “last-minute U.S. concession” could help finalise the deal, but officials say major breakthroughs are unlikely before Trump departs Asia later this week.

As his whirlwind trip draws to a close, Trump’s meetings in Gyeongju could shape the next phase of U.S. engagement in Asia, balancing trade ambitions, military commitments, and the ever-present challenge of North Korea.

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