Trump smiles, PPP hardliners frown

President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump held their first summit on the afternoon of Aug. 25, U.S. time, without major friction, with both leaders displaying a relatively warm rapport. The meeting unsettled hard-line figures in the People Power Party who continue to oppose Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment, despite the Constitutional Court ruling his declaration of martial law illegal, which led to his removal and a snap election. Some of the PPP’s most fervent supporters had circulated baseless claims that Washington disapproved of Lee and might intervene on Yoon’s behalf, narratives now further undermined by the summit’s outcome. [PARK YONG-SEOK]