申祐锡导演的华丽APEC视频以G-Dragon和一连串名人的游行开场，并以口号“世界来到韩国”结束。李在明总统在前任因宣布戒严而被弹劾后，于六月赢得了临时选举，他打算用该片来表明韩国的外交重返。上任之初，他面临与美国的贸易摩擦以及朝鲜与俄罗斯和中国日益加深的联系。

李的最紧迫任务是与唐纳德·特朗普达成关税减让协议。美国今年早些时候对韩国征收了25%的关税；七月特朗普同意将许多税率降至15%，但最初不包括汽车。APEC边会上的最终协议是，韩国承诺在美国投资3500亿美元，以换取对大多数商品——包括汽车——的关税降至15%（绝对下降10个百分点，相对降幅40%）。华盛顿还接受了首尔获取核动力潜艇的计划，并同意重新谈判核合作协定，使韩国能够浓缩和再处理燃料——此举可减少进口依赖，但也会降低制作武器的技术门槛。

李大体上实践了务实外交：修补与美国和日本的关系（与日本首相高市早苗举行了友好的首次首脑会晤）、与中国接触（习近平时隔十多年首次正式访问韩国且随后对韩国企业的制裁被暂停），以及对朝鲜的有限接触；朝鲜仍得到俄罗斯和中国的支持，并寻求其核地位的承认。然而，关于协议细节的分歧和与日本的历史争端仍然存在；正如一位官员所问：“雨天来临时，这段关系有多大的韧性？”

Shin Woo-seok’s flashy APEC video opens with G‑Dragon and a parade of celebrities and ends with the slogan “The world comes to Korea.” President Lee Jae Myung, who won a snap election in June after his predecessor was impeached following a declaration of martial law, intends the clip to signal South Korea’s diplomatic re‑emergence. He took office facing trade friction with the United States and North Korea’s growing ties to Russia and China.

Lee’s most urgent task was a tariff‑relief deal with Donald Trump. The US imposed a 25% duty on South Korea earlier this year; in July Trump agreed to cut many rates to 15% but initially excluded cars. The final APEC‑side deal saw South Korea promise to invest $350bn in the United States in exchange for tariffs on most goods—including cars—falling to 15% (a 10 percentage‑point, 40% relative reduction). Washington also accepted Seoul’s plan for nuclear‑powered submarines and to renegotiate a nuclear‑cooperation pact so South Korea can enrich and reprocess fuel—a move that reduces import dependence but would also lower the technical barrier to weapons.

Lee has largely practised pragmatic diplomacy: mending ties with America and Japan (a congenial first summit with Japan’s PM Takaichi Sanae), engaging China (Xi’s first official visit to South Korea in more than a decade and suspension of Chinese sanctions on Korean firms) and limited outreach to the North, which remains backed by Russia and China and seeks recognition of its nuclear status. Yet disputes over deal details and historical issues with Japan persist; as one official asked, “What’s the resilience in the relationship when rainy days come?”