Lee Jaemyung and Trump Hold Summit at White House
Commitment to North Korea Issue and U.S.-South Korea Shipbuilding Cooperation
Trump Raises Defense Cost Sharing, Requests Base Land Ownership
"Joint Venture for Alaska Gas Field Planned"
Pressure on South Korea to Purchase U.S. Weapons
On the 25th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his intention to pursue another summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this year during a South Korea-U.S. summit with President Lee Jaemyung held at the White House. He also indicated a willingness to strengthen cooperation in the shipbuilding industry between South Korea and the United States. However, he simultaneously presented a "bill" to South Korea, demanding an expanded role by raising issues such as increasing South Korea's share of defense costs (the portion of the cost of stationing U.S. troops in South Korea borne by South Korea) and participation in the Alaska gas field project.
Trump: "We Will Make Great Progress with North Korea"... Expresses Willingness to Resume U.S.-North Korea Talks
During the summit, after President Lee mentioned his hope for a U.S.-North Korea summit, President Trump responded positively, saying, "We can do something regarding inter-Korean issues. We can make great progress with North Korea." He added, "You are much more inclined than other South Korean leaders I have worked with to resolve this issue," and continued, "We will pursue this together, and I think it is a very good thing."
President Trump stated that he would like to meet Kim Jong Un within this year regarding the timing of the summit.
During his first term, he held two U.S.-North Korea summits in Singapore and Hanoi, Vietnam, and also met Kim Jong Un at Panmunjom. His remarks on this day are interpreted as a reaffirmation of his intention to resume direct dialogue between the U.S. and North Korean leaders during his second term, as he has previously indicated multiple times.
President Trump, who has repeatedly emphasized his personal rapport with Kim Jong Un, reiterated on this day, "We had a very good relationship and we still do," and stressed, "We have a great deal of mutual respect."
At the executive order signing ceremony held just before the summit, he also commented on Kim Jong Un, saying, "Someday, I will see him again," and "We had two summits and got along very well. Except for his sister, I know him better than anyone else."
He also claimed that if former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who ran as the Democratic candidate in the 2016 presidential election, had won, there would have been a "nuclear war" or a "catastrophe."
President Trump also announced his intention to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Gyeongju at the end of October. When asked about the possibility of participating in the APEC meeting, he replied, "I will visit South Korea, the host country, very soon to attend the trade conference."
He also emphasized the importance of South Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation. He said, "There have been difficulties in bringing the two countries (South Korea and Japan) together due to the comfort women issue," but stressed, "Trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan is very important, and improving South Korea-Japan relations is also important for South Korea-U.S. relations." He added, "Japan wants to get along with South Korea, and both countries share a desire to resolve the North Korea issue."
President Lee responded, "Since President Trump places great importance on South Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation, I thought it would be good to meet with Japan in advance and address any concerns beforehand."
President Trump also raised the agenda of shipbuilding cooperation. At the start of the summit, he said, "We will discuss a lot about shipbuilding today. The U.S. shipbuilding industry has been significantly devastated. Now we have to buy from South Korea, but I hope that through cooperation with South Korea, ships will once again be built in the United States."
"We Will Request Ownership of U.S. Bases in South Korea" Seen as Pressure to Increase Defense Cost Sharing... Also Demands Joint Venture in Alaska Gas Field
During the summit, while expressing willingness to cooperate on North Korea and shipbuilding, President Trump also raised the pressure on South Korea by directly and indirectly demanding additional roles in areas such as defense cost sharing and the Alaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) project.
When asked about the possibility of reducing the U.S. troop presence in South Korea, he avoided a direct answer by saying, "We have always been friends and still are," but then brought up the issue of defense cost sharing. He stated, "We station more than 40,000 troops in South Korea. During my term, South Korea agreed to share the costs, but after Joe Biden took office, they complained, and Biden, who is not a good person, gave up billions of dollars."
He then mentioned the land used for U.S. military bases in South Korea, saying, "While we are operating large fortresses, I want to see if South Korea can transfer land ownership to us." He added, "As you know, we spent a huge amount of money building these fortresses. South Korea contributed as well, but I want us to have ownership rather than just leasing while we operate these massive military bases."
President Trump's mention of the highly unrealistic transfer of U.S. base land ownership is interpreted as a negotiation tactic to pressure South Korea to increase its share of defense costs. The actual number of U.S. troops stationed in South Korea is 28,500, not the 40,000 he mentioned.
Regarding the Alaska LNG project, he said, "We are negotiating with South Korea on the Alaska issue. South Korea needs oil, and we have oil, which gives us a great advantage. We plan to pursue a joint venture with South Korea, and Japan is also deeply involved." He added, "We are bringing South Korea and Japan together," and "In fact, an agreement is getting closer." Despite the uncertain business prospects, he is pressuring South Korea to participate.
President Trump also commented on the purchase of U.S.-made weapons, saying, "We produce the best military equipment in the world, and South Korea is a major buyer. We will discuss this as well."
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