Cheong Wa Dae Forms Task Force to Prepare for S. Korea-U.S. Presidential Golf Outing

Cheong Wa Dae has formed a task force in preparation for a golf outing between President Lee Jae-myung and President Donald Trump, launching working-level preparations for "South Korea-U.S. golf diplomacy."

The move draws attention as the opposition, including Rep. Joo Jin-woo of the People Power Party, has recently mounted an offensive alleging that President Lee played "emperor golf" on the day a shopping mall ceiling collapsed in Daegu.

According to political circles, Cheong Wa Dae launched the task force late last month, shortly after President Lee returned from his tour of the United States and Mexico, to prepare for a golf meeting between the South Korean and U.S. leaders.

This came after President Trump instructed White House Chief of Staff Suzy Wiles during the South Korea-U.S. summit on September 23 to schedule a golf outing with President Lee.

President Trump, who had promised a golf outing with President Lee and his wife at the Group of Seven (G7) summit dinner in June, also said during the latest summit, "How is the First Lady doing? We should play a round of golf sometime."

Although the schedule for the golf meeting has not been finalized, speculation suggests it could take place on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Miami this December, and the task force's activities appear to be gaining momentum.

An official from Cheong Wa Dae said, "Because this is not just a simple round of golf but a diplomatic event, and there are few past precedents, thorough preparation is needed, which is why we are operating the task force."

The task force, headed by Protocol Secretary Kwon Hyuk-ki, includes officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Presidential Security Service, the National Security Office, the Office of the Protocol Secretary, and the Office of the Secretary for Culture and Sports, and is reported to have already held one in-person meeting.

The task force is known to be reviewing President Trump's past golf outings with foreign leaders and contemplating the format of the meeting.

Once the schedule is confirmed, it also plans to seek advice on attire and other details through the sports community, including the Korea Golf Association.

For example, given that President Trump often wears white or red caps embroidered with the uppercase letters "USA" while playing, plans are being considered for President Lee to wear a cap with "KOR" or the South Korean national flag.

Meanwhile, it is reported that only two foreign leaders have played golf with President Trump during his presidency: former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, a former member of the national golf team.

Although President Trump proposed golfing with President Lee and his wife, there are no known precedents of him playing golf with a leader and their spouse.

There are also expectations that professional golfers might join the round.

This is because Japanese golfer Hideki Matsuyama joined the 2017 round between President Trump and former Prime Minister Abe, and former golf star Gary Player accompanied the meeting with President Stubb last year.

The names currently being mentioned are Pak Se-ri and Lydia Ko.

During his visit to South Korea in 2019, President Trump met Pak Se-ri and said, "I would like to play golf [together] sometime."

In 2024, when Lydia Ko won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, he sent a congratulatory message recalling their meeting in 2015 at a Trump-owned golf course in Scotland.

(Photo: Joint Press Corps, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.