South Korea's Lee meets with Trump, promising to 'Make America Shipbuilding Great Again'

South Korea’s new president, Lee Jae-myung, hopes his country’s shipbuilding expertise can help revitalize the industry and stave off further Trump tariffs.

HONG KONG — One of the United States’ strongest allies in Asia, South Korea has had a rough start with President Donald Trump — struggling in tariff talks as it spent months without a permanent leader.

But its new president, Lee Jae-myung, has arrived for a meeting with Trump on Monday touting a $150 billion offering whose name is sure to appeal to the U.S. leader: “Make America Shipbuilding Great Again.”

The package, which South Korean officials also refer to as MASGA, includes the construction of new U.S. shipyards, the training of shipbuilding personnel and U.S. Navy ship maintenance.

It’s a key part of the last-minute trade deal South Korea struck last month with Trump, who says he wants to revitalize U.S. shipbuilding for both economic and national security reasons. Trade and security will be high on the agenda at his summit with Lee, which comes amid growing tensions with China and North Korea.

A White House official said that Trump “looks forward to hosting” Lee. “They will discuss North Korea, defense posture, trade barriers, maritime security, American shipbuilding, energy dominance, and more,” the official said.