Just hours before talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, South Korean leader Lee Jae Myung signaled that reaching a deal with Washington regarding its demand for “strategic flexibility” — a shift that would see U.S. forces in South Korea play a larger role in countering China — will prove difficult.
Lee said Sunday "it is true" the U.S. has demanded "flexibility" of U.S. forces in South Korea but said "this is not an issue we can easily agree with," the Yonhap news agency quoted him as saying aboard a flight to the United States.
"Instead, discussions on a future-oriented strategic transformation of U.S. Forces Korea are necessary from our perspective as well," Lee said, referring to the 28,500 American troops stationed in South Korea.
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