Lee, Trump welcome Korea's strategic investment projects in surprise summit at UN
In an unannounced UN meeting, the leaders discussed Korea's U.S. investment projects, defense cooperation and North Korea dialogue.
Korean President Lee Jae Myung, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump hold an unannounced bilateral summit at a hotel in New York on Sept. 22 on the margins of the UN General Assembly.
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NEW YORK — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump held an unannounced bilateral summit and welcomed progress in trade talks following Seoul's announcement of a key investment project on Tuesday in New York.
"During the meeting, both leaders welcomed the significant progress made in recent discussions regarding investment projects between the two nations,” National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said in a press briefing in New York late Tuesday.
The talks, arranged at the last minute, began at 7:20 p.m. and lasted 30 minutes during a dinner reception for leaders attending the United Nations General Assembly. Both Lee and Trump gave addresses at the UN General Assembly earlier Tuesday.
Based on the joint fact sheet agreed upon during the South Korea-U.S. summit last November, the two leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation in areas such as nuclear submarines, the right to enrich uranium and reprocess spent nuclear fuel, and shipbuilding, Wi said, and agreed to follow-up consultations. They also discussed the transfer of wartime operational control (Opcon) from the United States to South Korea.
The bilateral talks come after South Korea confirmed a $22.3 billion gas-fired power plant project in Texas as the first project under its $200 billion strategic investment package in the United States. Negotiations are still underway for two other projects: the construction of eight nuclear reactors in the United States and a liquefied natural gas development project in Alaska.
The meeting provided an opportunity for the two leaders to review the progress of investment discussions, following the South Korean government's report to the National Assembly on Monday.
Trump also reaffirmed his willingness to engage in dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, an issue Lee also raised in his address to the UN General Assembly.
"President Trump reaffirmed his willingness to engage in dialogue with North Korea, and the two leaders agreed to communicate closely, acting as peacemakers and pacemakers, to open the door to dialogue and establish sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Wi said.
Lee also noted the importance of the upcoming summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, scheduled for Wednesday in Washington, regarding the regional situation, including Seoul-Beijing relations, and expressed his hope for a successful outcome.
However, the issue of deploying troops to the Strait of Hormuz was not raised during the meeting, according to a senior presidential official.
"Because a wide range of issues was discussed, that particular topic didn't come up,” the official said. “It wasn't intentionally omitted, but rather just how the conversation naturally unfolded."
BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]
