U.S. State Department Officially Confirms Leaders' Phone Call
Four Days After Conversation Between Lee Jaemyung and Donald Trump
On June 10 (local time), the U.S. Department of State stated, "We are confident that our alliance (the South Korea-U.S. alliance) will continue to thrive under President Lee Jaemyung's leadership."
Tammy Bruce, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, made this statement during a briefing held at the Department of State building in Washington, D.C. on the same day.
Spokesperson Bruce confirmed that President Lee and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone on June 6, but advised reporters to contact the White House for details of the conversation. This is the first time the U.S. government has officially and publicly confirmed the call between President Lee and President Trump through a media briefing or statement, four days after the conversation took place.
The South Korean presidential office released detailed information about the discussion immediately after the call.
President Lee and President Trump held a phone conversation lasting about 20 minutes on June 6. The presidential office stated that the two leaders agreed to work toward the early conclusion of trade negotiations, including tariffs, and that they would aim to meet in person at the earliest possible opportunity.
The two leaders are expected to hold their first face-to-face meeting on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) summit, which will take place in Canada from June 15 to 17.
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