No clear path ahead for Lee's 'pacemaker' role amid Trump pressure, NK provocations

President Lee Jae Myung’s hoped-for pacemaker role in North Korea diplomacy is under strain from U.S. pressure over an Alaska LNG investment dispute and from renewed North Korean provocations. Lee is relying on Donald Trump to reopen talks with Kim Jong-un, but North Korea continues to reject Seoul’s overtures. The North fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Saturday, and Seoul responded with an emergency security meeting.

The Alaska LNG project would be the first project under South Korea’s $350 billion U.S. investment commitment, which was agreed in October 2025 in exchange for lower U.S. tariffs on Korean goods.

Trump said he would charge South Korea more if it did not proceed and added that he would double it up if an agreement was not reached soon.

North Korea’s Saturday missile launch from Wonsan was its 16th missile test of the year, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The launch came 12 days after a Sept. 21 land mine blast on the South Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone.

Kim Yo-jong called Lee’s appeal for easing tensions and restoring dialogue the second act of a self-staged clown show and said North Korea would permanently shut the door on South Korea.

Published Oct 3, 2026 1:08 pm KST

US leader warns of double cost over unilaterally announced Alaska investment; Pyongyang fires missile after land mine blast

U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during a campaign rally for Republican candidates ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections at the Mitchell Center in Mobile, Ala., Friday (local time). AP-Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung’s envisioned “pacemaker” role in North Korea diplomacy faces mounting obstacles from Washington and Pyongyang, as a U.S. investment dispute complicates ties with Trump, whom Lee is counting on to reopen talks, and the North continues to reject Seoul’s overtures while intensifying provocations.

Lee has cast U.S. President Donald Trump as a “peacemaker” capable of engaging North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, while describing himself as a “pacemaker” who would help create conditions for U.S.-North Korea dialogue and broaden it into peace talks involving South Korea.

Because Lee’s “pacemaker” role depends heavily on Trump’s willingness to engage Kim, any dispute that complicates his coordination with the U.S. president could make it harder for Seoul to help restart North Korea talks.

North Korea fires a new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile, Jan. 6, in this file photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. Yonhap

Against that backdrop, Trump stepped up pressure on Seoul over a $54 billion liquefied natural gas project in Alaska, Friday (local time), two days after unilaterally announcing South Korean participation, even though Seoul said no decision had been finalized.

If finalized, the Alaska project would become the first project under South Korea’s $350 billion U.S. investment commitment, agreed in October 2025 in exchange for lower U.S. tariffs on Korean goods.

Seoul says the project remains under review, subject to commercial and legal assessments.

But Trump denied moving too quickly, saying, “If they don’t want to do it, that’s okay with me. I’ll just charge them more.”

He also said he would “double it up” if an agreement was not reached soon.

“The dispute adds uncertainty to South Korea-U.S. relations, which Lee is relying on to advance his North Korea policy,” said a researcher at a private security think tank who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“There is no formal link between the investment talks and U.S.-North Korea diplomacy, but the two issues are increasingly being handled within the same top-level relationship,” the researcher added.

He went on to say that Lee has placed particular emphasis on Trump’s willingness to resume diplomacy with Kim at a time when North Korea refuses direct engagement with Seoul.

North Korea, meanwhile, fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea from Wonsan on Saturday, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

It marked Pyongyang's 16th missile test of the year and came 12 days after a Sept. 21 land mine blast on the South Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

Following the launch, the National Security Office held an emergency meeting, ordering checks on military readiness after both incidents and urging Pyongyang to halt repeated ballistic missile launches in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

On Sept. 28, a week after the blast, the JCS said North Korean land mines, believed to have been recently planted, were highly likely responsible.

Even after that assessment, Lee used his Armed Forces Day speech on Thursday to signal openness to talks, calling for steps to ease tensions and restore dialogue.

Pyongyang, however, denied responsibility and repeatedly mocked Seoul over the incident.

On Wednesday, the North Korean leader's powerful sister, Kim Yo-jong, called the case a “self-staged clown show” and warned of retaliation if South Korea opened fire in response.

A day after Lee’s speech, Kim also derided his call for easing tensions and restoring dialogue as the “second act” of that “self-staged clown show.”

She said North Korea intended to permanently shut the door on South Korea and dismissed Seoul’s proposal for talks over the Military Demarcation Line, which separates the two Koreas within the DMZ, as “delusion” and “babbling.”

由于美国就阿拉斯加液化天然气投资争端施加的压力以及朝鲜新一轮的挑衅，韩国总统李在明在朝韩外交中扮演的“领跑者”角色正面临挑战。李在明寄希望于唐纳德·特朗普重启与金正恩的对话，但朝鲜继续拒绝首尔的示好。周六，朝鲜向东海发射了一枚弹道导弹，首尔随即召开紧急安全会议予以回应。

阿拉斯加液化天然气项目将是韩国根据其对美3500亿美元投资承诺实施的第一个项目。该承诺于2025年10月达成，以换取美国降低对韩国商品的关税。

特朗普表示，如果韩国不继续推进谈判，他将向韩国收取更多费用，并补充说，如果不能尽快达成协议，他将加倍收费。

据韩国联合参谋本部称，朝鲜周六从元山发射的导弹是今年的第16次导弹试验。

此次发射发生在 9 月 21 日非军事区韩国一侧发生地雷爆炸事件 12 天后。

金与正称李在镕呼吁缓和紧张局势、恢复对话是朝鲜自导自演的小丑戏的第二幕，并表示朝鲜将永久关闭对韩国的大门。

发布于2026年10月3日下午1:08（韩国标准时间）

美国领导人警告单方面宣布的阿拉斯加投资将付出双重代价；平壤在发生地雷爆炸后发射导弹

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普周五（当地时间）在阿拉巴马州莫比尔市米切尔中心举行的共和党候选人竞选集会上发表讲话，此次集会旨在为11月3日的中期选举造势。美联社-韩联社

李在明总统设想的在朝鲜外交中扮演“领跑者”的角色，正面临来自华盛顿和平壤的日益增多的阻碍。美国投资争端使与特朗普的关系复杂化，而李在明指望特朗普重启谈判；与此同时，朝鲜继续拒绝首尔的示好，并加剧挑衅。

李将美国总统唐纳德·特朗普描述为能够与朝鲜领导人金正恩接触的“和平缔造者”，同时将自己描述为能够帮助创造美朝对话条件并将其扩大到包括韩国在内的和平谈判的“推动者”。

由于李在朝的“协调者”作用很大程度上取决于特朗普与金正恩接触的意愿，任何阻碍他与美国总统协调的争端都可能使首尔更难帮助重启朝美谈判。

这张由朝鲜官方通讯社朝中社发布的资料照片显示，朝鲜于1月6日试射了一枚新型中程高超音速弹道导弹。（韩联社）

在此背景下，特朗普于周五（当地时间）加大了对首尔在阿拉斯加价值 540 亿美元的液化天然气项目上的施压。两天前，他单方面宣布韩国将参与该项目，尽管首尔方面表示尚未最终决定。

如果最终敲定，阿拉斯加项目将成为韩国根据其于 2025 年 10 月达成的 3500 亿美元美国投资承诺中的第一个项目，该承诺旨在换取美国降低对韩国商品的关税。

首尔方面表示，该项目仍在审查中，需经过商业和法律评估。

但特朗普否认行动过快，他说：“如果他们不想做，我没意见。我只会向他们收取更高的费用。”

他还表示，如果不能尽快达成协议，他将“加倍投入”。

一位不愿透露姓名的私人安全智库研究员表示：“这场争端给韩美关系增添了不确定性，而李明博正依靠韩美关系来推进其对朝政策。”

“投资谈判与美朝外交之间没有正式联系，但这两个问题越来越多地在同一高层关系中得到处理，”该研究人员补充道。

他接着说，李特别强调了特朗普愿意在朝鲜拒绝与首尔直接接触之际恢复与金正恩的外交关系。

据韩国联合参谋本部消息，朝鲜周六从元山向东海发射了一枚弹道导弹。

这是平壤今年的第 16 次导弹试验，距离 9 月 21 日在非军事区（DMZ）韩国一侧发生的地雷爆炸事件仅 12 天。

发射后，国家安全局召开紧急会议，下令对这两起事件后的军事战备情况进行检查，并敦促平壤停止违反联合国安理会决议的反复弹道导弹发射。

9月28日，爆炸发生一周后，联合参谋本部表示，据信是最近埋设的朝鲜地雷极有可能是造成此次爆炸的原因。

即便在做出上述评估之后，李将军仍在周四的武装部队日讲话中表示愿意进行对话，呼吁采取措施缓解紧张局势并恢复对话。

然而，平壤否认对此事负责，并就此事多次嘲讽首尔。

周三，朝鲜领导人金正恩的妹妹金与正称此案是“自导自演的小丑戏”，并警告说，如果韩国开火回应，朝鲜将进行报复。

在李明博发表讲话的第二天，金正恩也嘲讽他呼吁缓和紧张局势、恢复对话是“那场自导自演的小丑戏”的“第二幕”。

她表示，朝鲜打算永久关闭通往韩国的大门，并驳斥了首尔提出的就军事分界线（分隔朝韩两国的非军事区）进行谈判的提议，称其为“妄想”和“胡言乱语”。