South Korean President Resumes Golfing Ahead Of Trump Visit

• 12.11.2024, 16:32

To Win His Heart.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is playing golf for the first time in eight years in preparation for upcoming meetings with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, his office in Seoul has confirmed.

Details», citing South Korean media, reported that Yoon visited a golf course on Saturday to play a sport his office said he last played in 2016.

“Many people close to President Trump… [have told me] that President Yoon and Trump will have a lot common,” the president said at a press conference Thursday after congratulating Trump over the phone on his victory.

Former Trump administration officials and influential Republicans have offered to help build ties with the incoming president, he added.

As the Washington Post reported in 2021, Trump played about 261 rounds of golf during his first term, or a round every 5.6 days.

Analysts say Yoon Suk Yeol may be looking to capitalize on his personal friendship with Trump to advance Seoul’s interests.

He already impressed leaders in Washington when he performed Don McLean’s “American Pie” at a state dinner with Joe Biden in 2023.

During Trump’s first term, South Korea and the United States clashed over how to share the cost of the roughly 28,500 American troops based in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Trump’s “America First” slogan and some of his campaign promises, including cutting military aid to allies, have also raised alarm in Seoul.

South Korean companies also rely heavily on trade with the United States.