On Tuesday, President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump held an unexpected summit on the sidelines of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly’s high-level segment, where they engaged in what’s being called golf diplomacy.
This meeting served to reaffirm and elaborate on their golf rendezvous promise made during the Group of Seven (G7) summit in France last June.
The Blue House reported that this separate summit between Presidents Lee and Trump materialized at the eleventh hour.
Initially, due to challenges in U.S.-Korea investment talks, a separate summit wasn’t on the agenda. However, as negotiations took a positive turn, both nations swiftly arranged the meeting.
The summit reportedly took place in a designated area near the reception venue around 7:20 p.m. local time.
A senior Blue House official revealed that Trump’s opening remarks were an inquiry about the First Lady’s well-being, followed by a casual suggestion about playing golf together.
The leaders then delved into discussions on U.S.-Korea investments and the transfer of wartime operational control.
Regarding the operational control transfer, the official noted that President Lee provided a comprehensive explanation, significantly enhancing President Trump’s understanding of the issue. The consensus was to expedite the process, potentially through a high-level meeting.
Both parties agreed to accelerate follow-up talks on key issues of Trump’s interest, including North Korea and nuclear-powered submarines.
They also touched upon the potential G20 summit in November, entertaining the idea of a golf game in Miami.
The senior official clarified that while no concrete golf plans were made, the topic bookended their conversation.
Key advisors from both nations attended the meeting. The Korean delegation included National Security Office Director Wi Sung-lac and Foreign Minister Park Jin, while the U.S. side was represented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and White House Chief of Staff Suzie Wiles.