Presidential Office: "Accepted the Invitation to Attend"
Possible First Summit with President Trump... First Phone Call Held on June 6
First Meetings with Major World Leaders... Indian Prime Minister Modi Also Expected to Attend
President Lee Jaemyung will attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit, which will be held in Canada from June 15 to 17. As a result, there is a strong possibility that President Lee and U.S. President Donald Trump will hold their first summit meeting. On June 6, the two leaders held their first phone call and agreed to meet either at a multilateral summit or through a bilateral visit. In addition to President Trump, President Lee may also meet with other leaders of major countries, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was also invited.
On June 7, presidential spokesperson Kang Yujeong announced at a briefing at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul, "President Lee has been invited to the G7 summit and has decided to attend." She added, "The number of journalists allowed to board the presidential aircraft, which was reduced under the Yoon Sukyeol administration, will be restored to the level of the Moon Jaein administration." This summit is expected to mark President Lee's debut in multilateral summit diplomacy.
There is also speculation that President Lee could meet President Trump again in the United States, taking advantage of his attendance at the G7 summit in Canada. When asked whether such a visit is being considered, an official from the presidential office said, "A meeting between the leaders of Korea and the United States is an area of great public interest," and added, "I can only say that we are making thorough preparations." Regarding the possibility of sending a special delegation to the U.S. to coordinate a Korea-U.S. summit, the official said, "Since we have decided to attend the G7 summit upon invitation, we are preparing for this thoroughly," and added, "I understand that there are plans for a special delegation, but it is not at the stage where we can disclose specific details yet."
Attention is focused on whether President Lee's participation in the G7 summit will help actively address a range of pressing issues, including President Trump's 'tariff bomb' policy, which reflects his America First stance, and the negotiations on defense cost-sharing. President Trump has announced plans to impose high tariffs on automobiles and steel products. The scheduled implementation date is July 8, leaving only about a month. The Korean government has set a goal of reducing or eliminating the current 25% tariff rate, but there has been no progress so far. Another difficult issue is the U.S. request, made during the previous administration, for Korea to participate in the Alaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline project.
Previously, on the third day after his inauguration, President Lee held a 20-minute phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump at 10 p.m. (Korean time) the previous day. President Trump congratulated President Lee on his election victory, to which President Lee expressed his gratitude and emphasized the importance of the Korea-U.S. alliance. This was President Lee's first phone call with a foreign leader since taking office, and it marked the resumption of summit diplomacy, which had effectively been on hold since the 12·3 Martial Law.
According to the presidential office, the first phone call was conducted in a generally "friendly atmosphere." In particular, the two leaders shared their common experience of being attacked during their respective election campaigns and even discussed playing a round of golf together. President Trump, who was the Republican presidential candidate, was shot during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania in July last year, while President Lee was attacked with a knife to the neck during a visit to the site of the new airport in Gadeokdo, Busan, in January last year.
The presidential office stated, "The call lasted for 20 minutes, and the two presidents highly praised each other's leadership and agreed to work closely together for the development of the Korea-U.S. alliance." The office also said, "Regarding the Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations, both countries agreed to work towards reaching an agreement that would be mutually satisfactory as soon as possible." However, there is a view that the process of reaching an agreement may not be easy, as President Lee also plans to pursue "pragmatic diplomacy focused on national interests," just as President Trump emphasizes America First.
Meanwhile, it has not yet been decided whether President Lee will attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, which will be held in the Netherlands from June 24 to 26. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, NATO has invited Korea, one of the four Pacific partners (Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand), including India, to the summit every year since 2022. The likelihood of an invitation this year is also high. An official from the presidential office stated, "That matter has not yet been discussed."
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