On June 19, President Lee Jae Myung reported that U.S. President Donald Trump expressed willingness to engage in dialogue with Chairman Kim Jong Un regarding North Korea. Trump also acknowledged the practical challenges of completely preventing North Korea’s nuclear program, suggesting the possibility of a phased approach.
During a press briefing on his recent European and the Group of Seven (G7) tour, President Lee stated that President Trump indicated that it’s time to focus on North Korea and that he’s open to dialogue with Kim.
Lee elaborated that Trump made remarks suggesting it’s realistically difficult to fully block North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, showing openness to considering a step-by-step approach.
According to Lee, Trump also inquired about the North Korean situation during a welcome event at the G7 summit.
At a dinner, Trump expressed regret that North Korea hadn’t taken feasible measures before effectively possessing nuclear weapons. Lee advised against treating the North Korean nuclear issue like other international matters.
Lee noted that President Trump concurred on this point. He seemed to share the view that there are no easy solutions, which appears to be a source of his concern.
President Lee repeatedly stressed the U.S.’s role in resolving Korean Peninsula issues. He stated that it has become challenging for South Korea alone to pave the way for easing tensions on the peninsula. It needs to facilitate U.S.-centered dialogue and work towards creating such conditions.
He added that North Korea views the U.S. as crucial for regime security. As the U.S. is a party to the armistice agreement, North Korea sees America as central to peninsula security and regime preservation issues.
Lee described the strained relations with North Korea, saying that regrettably, all communication channels with North Korea are cut off, including emergency hotlines.
He noted that construction of fences and barriers continues along the demilitarized zone (DMZ), with roads and bridges being severed. Nevertheless, it must persistently work to reduce hostility and foster an environment for peaceful coexistence and mutual prosperity.
Regarding the sensitive U.S.-South Korea defense cost-sharing issue, Lee stated that President Trump didn’t bring up defense cost-sharing during the meeting. It’s already contributing sufficiently.
He continued that while there was considerable discussion during the U.S. election about South Korea paying ten times more for U.S. forces’ defense, this hasn’t been mentioned since Trump took office. He initiated the discussion on defense spending, not just cost-sharing.
Discussions on economic and security cooperation included shipbuilding. Lee reported that President Trump inquired if we could quickly build ten U.S. warships, and he assured him it was possible.
He noted President Trump and Lee shared ideas on mutually beneficial cooperation, including shipbuilding. He emphasized the importance of South Korea-U.S. and U.S.-Japan cooperation, which Lee agreed with.
Lee stated that during his trip, he discussed Korean Peninsula affairs, global economic order, and security issues with major world leaders.
He emphasized that it will continue collaborating with the international community to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula.