Lee congratulates Trump, US citizens on 250th anniv. of American independence

President Lee Jae Myung makes congratulatory remarks at a public briefing in the southeastern city of Jinju, Friday. Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday congratulated U.S. President Donald Trump and the people of the United States on the 250th anniversary of American independence, referring to South Korea as a "precious partner" to the U.S.

Lee wrote the message on X, formerly known as Twitter, as the U.S. commemorated the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding Saturday.

"The U.S. began a great journey toward the ideals of freedom and democracy 250 years ago and has overcome so many challenges and led the international community's peace and prosperity," Lee said. "The Republic of Korea is a precious partner to the U.S., having upheld such values together."

Lee highlighted young U.S. soldiers' sacrifices for the 1950-53 Korean War, noting that his country will remember their sacrifices forever and make efforts to further strengthen the Seoul-Washington alliance.

"Both nations are developing as future-oriented partners of shared prosperity, expanding the scope of cooperation beyond security to future-related areas, including the economy, advanced technology, energy, shipbuilding, nuclear energy and artificial intelligence (AI)," the president stressed.

Lee said based on shared values and firm trust with Trump, South Korea will seek to bolster the alliance to a new level and contribute to peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and the world.