Lee, Trump Hold Separate Summit on Sidelines of U.N. General Assembly

Politics|
| Updated 2026.09.23. 11:51:09
|
By Song Jong-hojoist1894@sedaily.com
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null - Seoul Economic Daily Politics News from South Korea

Speaking at the press center in New York, Wi said, "The Korean and U.S. leaders held talks for about 30 minutes starting at 7:20 p.m. today." He added, "In the talks, the two leaders welcomed the significant progress made in recent discussions on investment projects between the two countries."

Wi said, "The two leaders welcomed the significant progress in discussions on strategic investment projects between the two countries, and they confirmed a shared commitment to further deepen Korea-U.S. cooperation in areas including nuclear submarine fuel, enrichment and reprocessing, shipbuilding cooperation and the transfer of wartime operational control, and agreed to hold follow-up consultations."

Trump in particular reaffirmed his willingness to engage in dialogue with North Korea, and the two leaders agreed to maintain close communication as "peacemakers and pacemakers" to open a channel for dialogue with Pyongyang and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula, Wi said.

Wi also said, "President Lee noted that the U.S.-China summit scheduled for tomorrow is important for the regional situation, including Korea-China relations, and wished for its success."

A senior presidential official said there was no discussion or mention at the talks of the deployment of troops to the Strait of Hormuz, an issue that has recently emerged between Seoul and Washington.

The presidential office said no summit had initially been scheduled, but the meeting was hastily arranged on the morning of the same day as talks on investment in the United States — a key pending issue between the two countries — made progress. Trump had been scheduled to host a reception from 7 p.m. and met Lee before heading to the venue. Trump had been holding talks with leaders from various countries since that morning, and the meeting with Lee was his last summit of the day, the presidential office said.

Original reporting by Song Jong-ho for Seoul Economic Daily.

AI-translated from Korean. Quotes from foreign sources are based on Korean-language reports and may not reflect exact original wording.

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