South Korea's Yoon practises golf to prepare for future Trump meets

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol prepares for meetings with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump through golf practice.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol recently began practising golf, for the first time in eight years, in preparation for future meetings with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, Mr. Yoon's office confirmed on Tuesday (November 12, 2024).

South Korean media said Mr. Yoon visited a golf course on Saturday (November 9, 2024) for a sport his office said he had last played in 2016.

"A lot of people close to President Trump... (told me) President Yoon and Trump will have good chemistry," Mr. Yoon told a press conference on Thursday (November 7, 2024), after congratulating Mr. Trump by telephone on his win.

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

Analysts said Mr. Yoon may seek to find a way to capitalise on a personal friendship with Mr. Trump to advance Seoul's interests as Trump's "America First" foreign policy plans and his unpredictable style play out in his second term.

South Korean companies rely heavily on trade with the United States, and during Mr. Trump's first term, the countries clashed over cost-sharing for the roughly 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War.

Officials in Seoul have been working to prepare for significant economic change, while Mr. Yoon called on Sunday for government and industry talks to prepare for Mr. Trump's return.