President Lee asks Trump to lead North Korea issue as he did in the Middle East; Trump says, "I will try"

   [Financial News, Évian, France = Choi Jong-geun]President Lee Jae-myung met and exchanged greetings with U.S. President Donald Trump at a welcome event for guest countries held on June 16 local time during the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Évian, France.
Before the group photo, Lee faced Trump and spoke with him for about 30 seconds. Trump said something to him, and Lee was also seen nodding in response.
Cheong Wa Dae senior spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung said in a written briefing that day, "President Lee met and exchanged greetings with U.S. President Donald Trump during the G7 Summit group photo session." She added, "President Trump asked President Lee about the current state of inter-Korean relations, and President Lee asked him to lead the peaceful resolution of the North Korea issue, just as he resolved the Middle East war."

Kang explained that Trump responded by saying he would try to help resolve the North Korea issue.
Earlier, Lee entered the venue to a welcome from French President Emmanuel Macron. When Macron greeted him with "How are you?" Lee replied, "I'm so happy." The two leaders then shook hands with bright smiles, posed for a commemorative photo, and later joined the group photo with other summit participants.
At Hotel Royal in Évian, Lee held a bilateral meeting with Chancellor Friedrich Merz on the sidelines of the G7 Summit. After exchanging greetings, Lee said, "It is a great pleasure to meet you like this, Prime Minister," and added, "Germany and South Korea are countries that can cooperate in many areas and create synergy through that cooperation."
"I hope we can hear a lot of your views today, share some new ideas of our own, and work together so that South Korea and Germany can leap to a truly new stage, different from before," he said.
Merz replied, "Thank you very much for making time. I also appreciate your visit to France for this G7 Summit. The most important thing, I think, is dialogue with the guest countries. I am very glad that we can discuss key agenda items together with the G7."
He added, "Our bilateral relationship is also very strong. South Korea is highly regarded in Germany, and our cooperation has so far progressed very well. I am scheduled to visit South Korea at the end of October, and I hope to see you again then. I would also like you to attend the meeting we are preparing and share your valuable thoughts."


Lee also held a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. There, Lee said, "Canada and South Korea have had very deep ties since the Korean War," and added, "We received great help, and now our two countries' relations are developing very well as mutually beneficial partners with similar positions." He continued, "We have a lot to cooperate on, so let's discuss today how we can make that cooperation more concrete."
Carney also responded positively. "I am very pleased to see you again," he said. "Since we met in South Korea, our bilateral relationship and partnership have continued to grow." He added, "We have strengthened cooperation in various fields, including defense, investment, and culture."
Earlier, Carney held a summit meeting with Lee at the APEC Summit in Gyeongju last October and announced the establishment of a "Korea-Canada Security and Defense Cooperation Partnership" covering cooperation in security and defense.
Attention is also focused on whether the two sides discussed the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP), which is currently being pursued by the Canadian government. At present, a South Korean consortium led by Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Germany's Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) are competing for the CPSP.
Lee attended the G7 Summit as the final stop of his European trip. It marks his second consecutive year on the G7 stage, following last year's summit in Canada. As the host of the G7 Summit, a country can invite other nations or international organizations to expanded sessions, and this year the leaders of five countries — South Korea, Brazil, India, Kenya, and Egypt — were invited.
Lee attended the first session of the expanded G7 Summit, titled "Building New Partnerships and Rebuilding International Solidarity," where he stressed the need for a new development cooperation model that goes beyond simple aid and helps recipient countries achieve practical self-reliance. He specifically cited the example of the "LG-KOICA Hope TVET College," where young people in Ethiopia learn electricity, electronics, and information and communications technology (ICT), and said that the key to development cooperation is tangible change that leads to employment and entrepreneurship through technology transfer.

Closing the digital divide in Artificial Intelligence (AI) was also presented as a major agenda item. Lee pointed out that although the AI revolution is both a new challenge for humanity and an opportunity for growth, many developing countries still do not have sufficient access to those opportunities. He said recipient countries must be supported so that technological gaps do not turn into growth gaps, and stressed the importance of sharing the benefits of AI development with the world so that all can grow together. To that end, he explained, South Korea has proposed a vision of a "Global AI Basic Society" in which all humanity can share the benefits of AI progress.
Cheong Wa Dae expects the fact that South Korea has been invited for two consecutive years to serve as an opportunity to raise its profile as a "G7 Plus" country.
Lee is also scheduled to attend the official dinner and other welcome events prepared by the French side later in the evening.
[email protected] Choi Jong-geun Reporter