SEOUL, South Korea — During the South Korean election campaign this year, Lee Jae Myung said he would crawl between President Donald Trump’s legs, if necessary, to protect his country’s national interests. But he also said, “I am not a pushover, either.”

A deal with the White House to help Trump revive US shipbuilding offers a risky route to expansion for South Korean yards.

Barely two months into office, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung faces a pivotal foreign policy test, heading into back-to-back summits in Tokyo and Washington that reflect the wider struggle of U.