US President Donald Trump questioned the political stability of South Korea ahead of his meeting with President Lee Jae Myung
Trump wrote on Truth Social that it "seems like a Purge or Revolution. We can't have that and do business there"
Speaking at the White House, Trump says he heard from "intel" that there were church raids. Lee responds that investigations are ongoing after the previous president was impeached
South Korea has been in a months-long political crisis after former President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in December
Trump discusses 'raids on churches' with South Korean president
The bilateral meeting has begun and Trump opens by saying President Lee is here to renegotiate the US-South Korea trade deal.
"That doesn't mean they are gonna get anything," Trump says.
Watch: Trump greets South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the White House
After arriving at the White House a bit later than expected, President Lee is now shaking Trump's hand.
The two look friendly as they prepare to head inside for bilateral talks.
Trump says they will have a "great" meeting.
You can click watch live at the top of the page to follow along. Stay with us.
President Lee is soon expected to arrive at the White House.
After meeting Trump, the two presidents will hold a bilateral session in the Oval Office.
You can click watch live at top of the page to follow along. Stay with us.
Image source, Getty ImagesIt wouldn’t be a meeting with Trump if the T word - tariffs - wasn’t mentioned.
While South Korea and the US have already struck a deal, tariffs may still come up when President Lee Jae Myung meets Trump later today.
Here’s what we know about the agreement:
At the end of July Trump announced that the US would slap South Korea with a 15% tariff on imports in what he called a "full and complete trade deal".
South Korea had previously been facing a 25% levy but it managed to strike a deal with Trump.
The deal, which will also see Seoul invest $350bn (£264.1bn) in the US, has been touted as a success in South Korea.
The 15% tariff rate will cover both cars and semiconductors, two of Seoul's main exports to the US. But steel and aluminium, other big earners for South Korea, will be taxed at 50%, in line with the global rate President Trump has set.
At the time South Korean leader Lee Jae Myung praised the deal, saying it would put his country on an equal or better footing compared with other countries.
One victory for South Korea is that it did not need to cross key red lines it had set, chiefly that it would not further open up its rice and beef markets to US imports.
Seoul has strict controls over how much US rice, and what types of beef, can be imported to protect its farming industry - farmers were planning to protest if these rules were relaxed.
Of the $350bn South Korea has promised to invest in the US, $150bn will go into helping the US build ships, including warships.
This was central to South Korea's strategy. It has a thriving shipbuilding industry, building more vessels than any other country in the world other than China, at a time when US shipbuilding and its navy is in decline.
Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House
Image source, ReutersSpeaking in the Oval Office moments ago, Trump accuses South Korea's government of conducting "raids on churches" and "very bad things".
Trump didn't expand on that idea, saying only that the US "won't stand for that".
He could be referring to raids - conducted last month - against various locations affiliated with the Unification Church as part of a corruption probe against the former First Lady of South Korea.
You can click watch live at the top of this page to follow Trump's comments.
Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House
Image source, ReutersWe don't know what prompted Trump to post about what he alleges could be a "purge" and "revolution" in South Korea - but in June, a highly influential figure in the world of Maga, Laura Loomer, also weighed in on the topic.
"The communists have taken over Korea and won the Presidential election today," she said after President Lee's electoral victory. "This is terrible."
The controversial former congressional candidate is known for having Trump's ear.
In April, she was reportedly behind the firing of top National Security Council officials whom she suspected of being insufficiently loyal to the administration.
While the president denied that the social media influencer played any role "at all" in the firings, Trump has referred to her as a "free spirit" who "has to say what she wants".
Last year, Loomer was something of a fixture on the campaign trail alongside Trump, raising questions - including from some Republicans - about the influence she could have on him.
She's repeatedly courted controversy in the past,and is well-known for her anti-Muslim rhetoric and for spreading conspiracy theories, including that the 9/11 attacks were an "inside job" carried out by the US government.
Read more about Loomer's history with Trump here.
Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House
Image source, Bernd Debusmann Jr/BBC NewsI'm currently at the White House, where much of this morning's focus was - at least originally - expected to be on two domestic executive orders President Trump will be signing shortly.
Now, much of the world's media focus is on the upcoming meeting between Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung later today, after Trump's suggestion that a "purge" or "revolution" is taking place.
The comment may make for an extremely tense meeting - a once nearly unthinkable occurrence that already has precedent during this Trump administration.
I was here at the White House for both previous Oval Office dust-ups, starting with the now-infamous shouting match between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in February.
Several months later, in May, it was South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's turn to draw Trump's ire.
In that meeting, Trump's team ambushed the visiting delegation with claims that white farmers in his nation were being killed and "persecuted" - a largely discredited claim. Trump showed a video of several crosses lining a road, claiming they were burial sites for murdered white farmers.
No doubt, the South Korean delegation will be hoping to avoid a similar incident and is working behind the scenes to bring tensions down before they arrive.
Jake Kwon
Reporting from Seoul
Image source, Getty ImagesPresident Trump appears to be inching towards the worst case scenario for South Korea's leader: being ambushed in the Oval Office as happened to the room's earlier visitors.
Trump appeared to be accusing the new President Lee Jae Myung of a politically motivated purge against his predecessor when he posted on his Truth Social account "what is happening in South Korea? seems like a purge or revolution".
Former president Yoon, his wife, as well as several of his ministers are awaiting trial in detention for launching a failed martial law attempt in December last year.
Yoon's supporters have been lobbying the Maga circle, hoping to enlist Trump’s help to save the disgraced leader.
From Yoon's party lawmakers meeting Maga politicians, to his every-day supporters donning Maga hats and chanting slogans at their rallies, there has been an earnest attempt at reaching Trump's ears.
Some here in Seoul has been anxious about whether Yoon's supporters will succeed in their mission. This is a dream come true for Yoon and a nightmare for Lee.
Image source, Anadolu via Getty ImagesPresident Lee Jae Myung comes to Washington after a short visit to Tokyo, Japan
South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung will visit the White House later this afternoon for his first major foreign trip since assuming the presidency in June. He comes to Washington directly from Tokyo, where he met his Japanese counterpart for talks.
Trade and defence are set to be on the agenda of the three-day working visit.
But ahead of his visit, US President Donald Trump posted on social media about recent political events in South Korea - suggesting he is unhappy with the prosecution of Lee's predecessor. This could set the stage for a potentially tense meeting today.
Former president Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached after his short-lived martial law declaration last December.
"WHAT IS GOING ON IN SOUTH KOREA?" Trump wrote on Truth Social this morning. "Seems like a Purge or Revolution. We can’t have that and do business there. I am seeing the new President today at the White House."
Stick with us as we bring you the latest.