South Korean and Japanese officials are putting on their politest smiles and heading to Washington. Akazawa Ryosei, the minister leading negotiations for Japan, visited the White House on April 16th and donned a MAGA hat.

A South Korean delegation will meet U.S. counterparts on Thursday for an opening round of trade talks, with cooperation on shipbuilding and energy expected to be on the agenda, and possibly shared defence costs,

South Korea’s economy contracted in the first quarter after large-scale wildfires and political turmoil over its president’s impeachment suppressed consumer sentiment and business activities.