Photo = Cheong Wa Dae
President Lee Jae-myung said Tuesday that he held “meaningful” talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, their second meeting in about two months following their encounter in Ankara in July, citing progress in bilateral strategic investment negotiations and deepened cooperation across a range of security and economic issues.
In a post on X, Lee said the meeting with Trump reaffirmed their shared commitment to advancing the Korea-U.S. alliance, built on “deepened trust and friendship.”
“Following intense negotiations, discussions on the Korea-U.S. ‘strategic investment’ project have made significant progress,” Lee wrote, adding that the two leaders held in-depth discussions on expanding cooperation in areas including nuclear submarine fuel and enrichment and reprocessing, shipbuilding cooperation, and the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON).
Lee said it was especially significant to reconfirm Trump’s willingness to pursue dialogue with North Korea, describing the two countries as “peacemaker and pacemaker” working to restart stalled talks and establish sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula.
The president expressed hope that Tuesday’s meeting would be remembered as an important milestone in developing the “Korea-U.S. future-oriented comprehensive strategic alliance.”
Lee also noted that Trump brought up a golf outing the two had discussed in Evian, France, and said he looks forward to continuing that conversation when they meet again at the Group of 20 summit in Miami late this year.
“The vigorous journey of the Korea-U.S. alliance will continue without wavering,” Lee said, vowing that the two countries will further solidify cooperation to underpin peace, stability and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region.
