On the morning of the 25th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump said during a signing ceremony for an executive order at the White House, "I heard that the South Korean government has been conducting a very vicious raid on churches in recent days and has entered our military base to gather information," and added, "It shouldn't have been done, but I've heard bad news. I don't know if it's true or not, but I will confirm it with the new president."
Trump, when asked to elaborate on the significance of his social media posts regarding South Korea, said, "I look forward to meeting (the president), but if such things are happening, we will never tolerate it."
Starting at 12 p.m. that day, Trump will have his first summit meeting with President Lee Jae-myung. About three hours before the U.S.-South Korea talks, at around 9 a.m., he stated on his social media platform, Truth Social, "What's happening in Korea? It seems like a purge or revolution is taking place. In this situation, we cannot do business in Korea."
Trump said, "I met the new president of Korea at the White House today," and expressed, "I appreciate the interest in this matter." Although Trump did not provide specific evidence, there is speculation that he may be referring to the probes and trials involving former President Yoon Suk-yeol and former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, as well as the search conducted at the Osan Air Base, where U.S. and South Korean forces are jointly stationed.
Last month, the team investigating duty-related deaths searched the Yeouido Full Gospel Church, while the special prosecutor team investigating allegations related to Mrs. Kim Keon-hee conducted a search of the Unification Church headquarters in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, and Seoul. Additionally, the special prosecutor team investigating the emergency martial law and foreign exchange allegations searched the radar facilities at Osan Air Base, which is jointly operated by the U.S. and South Korean air forces, last month.