Hundreds of protesters filled the streets of central Seoul on Saturday, voicing contrasting messages as South Korea braces for a high-stakes diplomatic week. One group near the US embassy chanted “No Trump!” while another, just a few hundred meters away, shouted “No China!”  a vivid illustration of the delicate position President Lee Jae Myung faces as he prepares to host both Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. South Korea’s alliance with Washington is decades old, forged during the Korean War, yet its economic lifeline remains tied to China its largest trading partner. “South Korea finds itself cau

Hundreds of protesters filled the streets of central Seoul on Saturday, voicing contrasting messages as South Korea braces for a high-stakes diplomatic week. One group near the US embassy chanted “No Trump!” while another, just a few hundred meters away, shouted “No China!”  a vivid illustration of the delicate position President Lee Jae Myung faces as he prepares to host both Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.

South Korea’s alliance with Washington is decades old, forged during the Korean War, yet its economic lifeline remains tied to China its largest trading partner. “South Korea finds itself caught between a rock and a hard place,” said Darcie Draudt-Vejares of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “Lee Jae Myung is trying to manoeuvre between these superpowers.”

Lee’s leadership follows months of political unrest after his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, was impeached following a failed martial law decree. Since taking office, Lee has sought to restore stability and repair strained ties with the US after Trump’s tariffs rattled global markets.

A protester holds a banner depicting Donald Trump vomiting money a symbol of growing resentment over trade pressure.

Despite Seoul pledging $350 billion in US investments and agreeing to buy $100 billion worth of liquified natural gas, relations were shaken when more than 300 South Koreans were detained in a US immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in Georgia.

“There’s frustration that the US is treating South Korea like a ‘money machine,’” said student Kim Sol-yi, reflecting growing resentment among young Koreans.

As Trump and Xi arrive in Seoul for potential trade talks, hopes for a breakthrough remain slim. “If Trump leaves after a short, calm visit, that might actually be the best outcome,” said analyst John Delury  underscoring just how carefully President Lee must tread this geopolitical tightrope.

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