Updated
Updated · Reuters · Jun 18
Lee Says 90-Minute Trump Talks Made Progress on North Korea as G7 Meeting Yields Pen, Golf Pledge
Updated
Updated · Reuters · Jun 18

Lee Says 90-Minute Trump Talks Made Progress on North Korea as G7 Meeting Yields Pen, Golf Pledge

3 articles · Updated · Reuters · Jun 18

Summary

  • Lee Jae Myung said a 90-minute dinner conversation with Donald Trump at the G7 produced “significant progress” on peace on the Korean peninsula and South Korea-U.S. relations.
  • At the summit in Evian-les-Bains, Lee said Trump later gave him the pen he had used to sign documents and twice renewed a promise to play golf with Lee and first lady Kim Hea Kyung.
  • Lee’s office said he urged Trump during a group-photo session to lead efforts for a peaceful resolution with North Korea, while the two also discussed shipbuilding and trilateral cooperation with Japan.
  • The exchange comes as Seoul and Washington remain close security allies but have faced strains in recent years over U.S. tariffs and sharing defense costs.

Insights

Beyond friendly gestures and a gifted pen, what concrete security commitments did South Korea actually gain from the United States?
As Seoul deepens ties with Washington and Tokyo, how will it navigate the inevitable pushback from Beijing and Pyongyang?