Yoon "Sincerely Congratulate the Great Victory"
Trump "Special Regards to the Korean People"
Agreed to Meet Soon
President Yoon Suk-yeol and President-elect Donald Trump of the United States had a 12-minute phone call starting at 7:59 a.m. on the 7th. President Yoon sincerely congratulated President-elect Trump on his great victory, and President-elect Trump conveyed his special regards to the Korean people. The two leaders agreed to meet in the near future. Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy director of the National Security Office, briefed on this matter at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the same day.
President Yoon greeted President-elect Trump by saying, "I sincerely congratulate you on your great victory with the slogan 'Make America Great Again (MAGA)'," to which President-elect Trump replied, "Thank you very much. I send my special regards to the Korean people." President Yoon reiterated his congratulations, wishing that President-elect Trump would lead a great America with his leadership.
President Yoon and President-elect Trump first discussed trilateral cooperation among Korea, the United States, and Japan.
President Yoon evaluated that the Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperative relationship has grown stronger day by day, and that this cooperation was able to be established as the Camp David trilateral cooperation system thanks to President-elect Trump's contribution in solidifying cooperation among Korea, the U.S., and Japan during his first term.
Then, President Yoon said, "Let us continue the Korea-U.S. alliance as a close partnership encompassing all areas including security and economy," to which President-elect Trump readily responded, "I look forward to continuing a good cooperative relationship between Korea and the U.S."
Deputy Director Kim explained, "The two countries agreed on the importance of building joint leadership in the Indo-Pacific region, the Korean Peninsula, and on a global scale."
In particular, President-elect Trump said during the call, "The U.S. shipbuilding industry needs Korea's help and cooperation." He added, "I am well aware of Korea's world-class warship and shipbuilding capabilities, and I think it is necessary to closely cooperate with Korea not only in our ship exports but also in maintenance, repair, and overhaul sectors," and expressed his desire to discuss these matters more concretely with President Yoon going forward.
They also talked about the recent situation in North Korea. President Yoon and President-elect Trump assessed North Korea's military movements, currently deployed in Ukraine, and shared concerns about the urgent situation in the Ukraine conflict.
President Yoon shared information about North Korea's increasing nuclear capabilities, intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches, the dropping of trash balloons over Korea, and GPS jamming issues threatening the safety of Korean ships, civilians, and aviation in the West Sea. Deputy Director Kim explained, "The two leaders expressed their shared concerns."
Deputy Director Kim stated, "President Yoon and President-elect Trump agreed on the necessity of meeting in person to discuss all these issues more concretely and agreed to set a date and place for a meeting in the near future."
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