Hours before South Korean president Lee Jae Myung was due to meet US president Donald Trump, a Truth Social post dropped. WHAT IS GOING ON IN SOUTH KOREA? Trump wrote, pointing to a Purge or Revolution. It appears this was a reference to Mr Lee's attempts to move South Korea on from its martial law crisis last December, when its now ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol tried to orchestrate a military takeover.

But Lee turned on the charm and averted a repeat of what happened in the Oval Office to Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky or South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa. The leaders found common ground on North Korea, with Trump repeatedly mentioning Kim Jong Un, and they managed to avoid public disagreements over thorny trade and defence issues. Here are three main takeaways.

Lee's strategy of flattery worked. His team had been nervous about this meeting, but Lee's charm offensive included complimenting the Oval Office's bright and beautiful new look and praising Trump's rapport with Kim Jong Un. Lee asked Trump to help make peace between the North and South, stating, The only person who can make progress is you, Mr President. If you become the peacemaker, then I will assist you by being a pacemaker. This light-hearted moment even included a joke about building a Trump Tower in North Korea.

Despite the concerns ahead of their meeting, Lee's tactics paid off. Trump emphasized that both nations need each other for trade, while discussions about US troops in South Korea were largely sidestepped, allowing for a positive outcome from the engagement.