On Wednesday, October 29, 2025, President Donald Trump embarked on his journey to South Korea, marking the final leg of his Asian tour. The United States is planning to sign an agreement with South Korea to strengthen cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, and 6G technology. Trump also plans to hold talks with the leader of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping, during his visit to South Korea.
Prior to his visit to South Korea, Trump signed a rare earth agreement with the newly appointed Prime Minister of Japan, Naoto Takichi, on Tuesday. Both parties have also agreed to enhance collaboration in cutting-edge technologies and establish a reliable ecosystem in areas such as energy, AI, and critical minerals.
Upon arrival in South Korea, Trump is scheduled to deliver a speech at a corporate leadership summit in Gyeongju, a tranquil South Korean town famous for its ancient tombs and palaces, and is set to meet with South Korean President Lee Jae-myeong.
The focal point of the agenda will be the pending trade agreement between the United States and South Korea. According to the agreement reached in August between the United States and South Korea, South Korea has agreed to invest $350 billion in the United States to avoid high tariffs. However, negotiations on the investment structure have been at a standstill, with officials from both sides indicating that it is unlikely for Trump and Lee to finalize the agreement.
Trump has also urged South Korea and other allies to shoulder more defense costs. Additionally, following an unexpected inspection of Hyundai’s battery factory in Georgia by the United States, South Korea has requested the U.S. to ease immigration laws to attract more workers to build factories in the United States.
On Wednesday morning, North Korea announced that they had test-fired a cruise missile with a portable nuclear warhead the previous day. According to the North Korean state media, KCNA, officials in charge of overseeing the test-firing stated: “Continuously strengthening our nuclear warfare posture is our mission and responsibility.”
Last week, North Korea also launched its first ballistic missile since May. Trump has repeatedly called on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to meet with him, but Pyongyang has not responded publicly. Kim Jong-un had previously mentioned that he might consider dialogue if Washington stops demanding denuclearization.
Under Kim Jong-un’s leadership, North Korea has established a closer relationship with Russia and significantly increased its military capabilities. As part of the agreement for receiving technical assistance from Russia, North Korea has deployed a large number of soldiers to the front lines of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
To ensure security, Gyeongju currently has a significant presence of police and military personnel as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum is set to take place there this week. However, Trump will not attend the leadership summit scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
Instead, Trump will deliver a speech at the APEC CEO Summit and hold bilateral meetings with leaders from multiple countries (including Xi Jinping) and have a dinner with Lee Jae-myeong.
A “Trump-Xi Summit” is also expected to be held on Thursday, a focal point of Trump’s current Asian tour.
Christopher Padilla, a senior consultant at Brunswick Group in Washington, D.C., told Reuters, “Trump does not enjoy large international gatherings but prefers one-on-one meetings with key leaders.”
U.S. officials stated that U.S.-China trade negotiators reached a consensus on a trade framework on Sunday: the U.S. will temporarily refrain from imposing higher tariffs, and China will relax its export controls on rare earths.
Before visiting Japan and South Korea, Trump also visited Malaysia. During the ASEAN summit, he announced a series of trade agreements and witnessed Thailand and Cambodia signing a ceasefire agreement following border conflicts.