Trump slams ‘purge’ in S. Korea ahead of visit by President Lee
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South Korean prosecutors filed an arrest warrant for former prime minister Han Duck-soo (left) on Aug 24.
PHOTO: EPA
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WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump on Aug 25 suggested that a “purge or revolution” was under way in South Korea, hours before new President Lee Jae-myung was due at the White House.
“WHAT IS GOING ON IN SOUTH KOREA? Seems like a Purge or Revolution. We can’t have that and do business there,” Mr Trump posted.
He did not specify what he was referring to, but said he would bring it up with Mr Lee.
South Korean prosecutors on Aug 24 filed an arrest warrant
Yoon, a conservative with close ties with the United States, was impeached after his strong-armed tactic to seize power, which he took after facing deadlock in Parliament.
The martial law bid was a throwback to South Korea’s earlier era of military rule and was swiftly reversed after an impromptu popular revolt.
Mr Trump has tested the limits of his own presidential authority, sending troops into the capital Washington in what he called an effort to fight crime and earlier sending forces into Los Angeles after demonstrations against his crackdown on immigration.
Mr Lee comes from South Korea’s left but has voiced eagerness to start a productive relationship with Mr Trump.
The two presidents could see eye to eye on North Korea.
Mr Trump, in his first term, met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un three times, and Mr Lee is an advocate of outreach with the North.
It is not the first time Mr Trump has surprised an unsuspecting foreign leader with a disputable claim about their domestic policies.
In May, Mr Trump ambushed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in a White House meeting by alleging a “genocide” against white farmers by the post-apartheid government, which denies any such campaign. AFP
