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US President Donald Trump greets President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea upon the latter’s arrival at the White House for a summit on Aug. 25, 2025. (Yonhap)

“WHAT IS GOING ON IN SOUTH KOREA?”

US President Donald Trump caused a major stir when he speculated about a “Purge or Revolution” going down in Korea on social media less than three hours before meeting with Korean President Lee Jae Myung. Despite the rocky start, the two leaders held cordial talks after Trump mentioned there was a “rumor going around about [raids on] churches” but that he was “sure it’s a misunderstanding.”

Although the issue was brushed aside without incident during Monday’s summit meeting, the hubbub is illustrative of the increasingly close ties between the Korean far right and the MAGA crowd in the US, and goes to show that MAGA’s influence on Trump cannot be taken lightly when it comes to Korea-US relations.

With the future of the Korea-US alliance resting on the summit, the unusual move by Lee’s presidential chief of staff to jet off for the US is believed to have been aimed at curbing MAGA attacks against Lee.

On Aug. 15, ten days out from Lee’s arrival in the US, Gordon Chang, a key figure in the MAGA movement, submitted an opinion piece to congressional newspaper The Hill in which he claimed Korea’s June presidential election had been marred by widespread foul play. 

Chang’s piece argued that Lee was “virulently anti-American” and that the treaty-based bilateral relationship was in peril. When the Korean administration determined that this article required a response, it was decided that Kang Hoon-sik, the presidential chief of staff, would be dispatched to the US.

Multiple diplomatic insiders have said that Kang’s last-minute trip was born out of concerns over the potential for MAGA conspiracy theories painting Lee as an anti-American communist to influence Trump and derail the summit.

Kang was called on to accompany the president during his Washington visit in an attempt to offset the presence of Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, who exercises immense influence within Trump’s MAGA support base. 

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and presidential office chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik speak at a banquet with Korean Americans held at a hotel in Washington, DC, on Aug. 24, 2025. (Yonhap)

Normally, the chief of staff does not accompany the president during his overseas tours but stays in Seoul to deal with matters on the home front. Many observers noted that Kang’s sudden recruitment to join Lee’s Washington entourage was highly unusual. 

Kang reportedly visited the White House on Monday morning, around the time Trump posted on Truth Social that “a Purge or Revolution” was happening in South Korea. Kang then appeared by Lee’s side and accompanied him during the summit. 

It is likely that Kang met with Wiles to smooth things over so that Trump’s social media post did not influence the summit.  

Though not officially part of the administration, figures like Laura Loomer and Gordon Chang serve the role of connecting Trump to his MAGA base. Allied with the Korean far right and with Korean American election deniers, they have expressed support for Yoon’s martial law declaration last year and called Lee an anti-American communist, accusing him of being installed into office by the Chinese Communist Party through a rigged election. 

On Monday, Chang reposted Trump’s post on X, along with the message “Thank you, President Trump.”

Effectively, Chang was flexing about the influence he has with Trump. 

A former senior intelligence official said that the issue needs addressing.

“We need to acknowledge that the far right in South Korea and in the US aligning to spread fake news about Lee Jae Myung represents a very serious national security issue,” they said. 

“This is not just a simple one-off thing. We need to operate under the assumption that it is a form of psychological warfare that poses a serious threat to our national interests and security,” the former official said, stressing the need to “closely monitor their activities and act accordingly.”

By Park Min-hee, staff reporter

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