President Lee Jae Myung Holds 30-Minute Summit with Donald Trump; Discusses Nuclear-Powered Submarines, Fuel Enrichment and Reprocessing, Wartime OPCON, and More

[Financial News, New York, U.S. — Choi Jong-geun]President Lee Jae Myung held a 30-minute bilateral summit with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sept. 22 local time on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. The summit had not initially been confirmed, but the meeting was finalized and held unexpectedly on the day, according to reports.
Wi Sung-lac, director of national security at Cheong Wa Dae, told a briefing at a press center in New York, "President Lee held a U.S.-South Korea summit with President Trump for about 30 minutes." He added, "At the summit, the two leaders welcomed the significant progress made in discussions on strategic investment projects between the two countries."
He emphasized, "The two leaders also reaffirmed their intention to further deepen cooperation between South Korea and the United States in areas including nuclear-powered submarines, fuel enrichment and reprocessing, shipbuilding cooperation, and the transfer of wartime operational control, based on the joint explanatory document issued by the two countries' leaders last November. They agreed to continue follow-up consultations."
President Trump also reaffirmed his willingness to engage in dialogue with North Korea. The two leaders agreed to remain in close communication as "peacemakers" and "pace-setters" to open the door to dialogue and establish lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
A senior Cheong Wa Dae official said, "Discussions on the nuclear agreement and nuclear-powered submarines had made little progress due to various external factors, but the investment issue, which could be considered the biggest factor, has advanced. We emphasized the need to resume and move forward with related discussions." The official added, "We agreed to hold follow-up consultations in Washington, D.C., to advance issues including shipbuilding cooperation, the nuclear agreement, nuclear-powered submarines, and the transfer of wartime operational control. The timing has not been set, but we will pursue them as soon as possible."
Regarding dialogue between North Korea and the United States, the official said, "We conveyed to President Trump our hope that he would contribute to this issue, and President Trump said he would do so." Trump also referred to his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and reportedly said, "I have a good relationship with Chairman Kim and get along well with him, and I am almost the only one who does."
[email protected] Choi Jong-geun Reporter