South Korea is pushing back on Trump, refusing to send troops to the Middle East while leaning into tourism, foreign students, and trade partnerships — good for Korea's economy, a setback for U.S. efforts to rally allies.

• President Lee has said Korea will definitely not send troops to the Middle East, and street protests in Korea are backing him with "no war" messaging.
• Korea's foreign minister met with Rubio as the two countries work through their differences.
• Korea is courting foreign students and tourists at the same time the U.S. is pushing them away, with universities relying on foreign students for money and rankings.
• Tourism is booming, with airport traffic expected to jump from 50,000 to 60,000 passengers a day, though a recent kidnapping case has led some Chinese, Taiwanese, and Japanese tourists to cancel trips.
• Gas prices in Korea are falling because the government is stepping in to keep them affordable, the opposite of what Americans are seeing.

Outlook: Korea and Canada are likely to keep building trade and education ties with Europe, Asia, and each other as the U.S. turns inward, and Korea's troop refusal signals allies may keep saying no to Trump's Middle East requests.