Trump reaffirms commitment to dialogue with N. Korea during summit with Lee: Seoul
Summary
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump held summit talks in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly and discussed pending bilateral issues. Trump reaffirmed his commitment to dialogue with North Korea, and the two leaders agreed to keep communicating closely to help resume U.S.-North Korea talks and sustain peace on the Korean Peninsula. They also discussed shipbuilding, nuclear-powered submarines, uranium enrichment, spent fuel reprocessing and wartime operational control transfer.
Key Facts
- The 30-minute summit also covered Seoul’s pursuit of rights to enrich uranium and reprocess spent nuclear fuel.
- National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said the leaders welcomed progress in bilateral strategic projects.
- A presidential official said Trump repeatedly showed interest in bilateral shipbuilding cooperation during the talks.
- Lee focused on South Korea’s efforts to build independent defense capabilities, including higher defense spending and expedited talks on nuclear-powered submarines.
- The two leaders agreed to hold follow-up consultations in Washington on the major pending issues discussed Tuesday.
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, greets President Lee Jae Myung upon his arrival at the White House, in Washington, Aug. 25, 2025. AP-Yonhap
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump held summit talks Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly and discussed a number of pending issues, a South Korean official said.
The 30-minute summit included discussions on Seoul's pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines, rights to enrich uranium and reprocess spent nuclear fuel, and the transfer of wartime operational control of Korean troops from Washington, as well as cooperation in shipbuilding, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac told reporters.
During the summit, Trump reaffirmed his commitment to dialogue with North Korea, and the two leaders welcomed progress in bilateral strategic projects, Wi said.
The leaders also resolved to communicate closely to help promote the resumption of dialogue between North Korea and the United States and to maintain close communication to ensure sustainable peace is established on the Korean Peninsula, he noted.
The summit came after Seoul was reported to have chosen to build a large-scale gas-fired power plant in Texas as its first U.S. investment project under its US$350 billion investment package unveiled last year as part of a broader joint fact sheet agreement to lower U.S. import tariffs.
A presidential official said on condition of anonymity that during the summit, Trump frequently expressed interest in bilateral shipbuilding cooperation, while Lee focused on Seoul's efforts to build independent defense capabilities, including increasing defense spending and expediting discussions on Seoul's envisioned acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines.
The two leaders also agreed to hold follow-up consultations in Washington to advance discussions on the major pending issues discussed Tuesday.
The latest summit, however, did not address issues involving the Strait of Hormuz, the official noted. The Lee administration had been under increasing U.S. pressure to make military contributions to U.S. operations to ensure the free navigation of ships through the waterway.
Lee, in particular, asked Trump to make contributions to the resumption of North Korea-U.S. dialogue, and the U.S. president responded positively, saying he has a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the official added.
Lee has repeatedly expressed willingness to support the resumption of North Korea-U.S. dialogue and leverage it to induce improve inter-Korean ties, eventually replacing the truce that halted the 1950-53 Korean War with a peace regime.
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