U.S. President Donald Trump said he wants to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this year when he discussed trade and defence issues with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during a White House visit on Monday.
"I'd like to meet him this year," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office as he welcomed South Korea's new president, Lee Jae Myung, to the White House for the first time.
"I look forward to meeting with Kim Jong Un in the appropriate future."
Lee highlighted North Korea’s growing nuclear capabilities. "Despite the massive sanctions imposed to deter North Korea, the result has been the continuous development of nuclear weapons and missiles."
He added that the country could now build 10–20 nuclear warheads per year, needing only to perfect a reentry vehicle for its largest missiles.
North Korea did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump's remarks. Its state media said later that U.S.-South Korea joint military drills proved Washington's intention to "occupy" the Korean peninsula and target countries in the region.
Trump and Lee discussed trade, including a non-binding agreement to set up and operate a $350 billion financial packaged pledged in their July trade deal, to support the strengthening of strategic industries including energy and critical minerals, batteries, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and quantum computing.
South Korean presidential policy adviser Kim Yong-beom said the Ministry of Finance would establish a working-level team to discuss detailed future implentation.
Trump said, "I think we have a deal done. They had some problems with it, but we stuck to our guns."
The two leaders also addressed defence spending and military arrangements. Trump suggested Seoul might give the U.S. more flexibility in using its forces, but said, "I don't want to say that now," when asked about troop reductions.
Before the meeting Lee had said that it would be difficult for South Korea to adopt such "flexibility," particularly regarding operations related to China, acknowledging the challenges in meeting U.S. demands.
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