South Korea’s Lee, Trump discuss strategic projects, North Korea

US President Donald Trump and his South Korean counterpart Lee Jae Myung discussed several pending issues between the two sides, including progress in bilateral strategic projects, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported on Wednesday, citing National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday amid Washington’s mounting pressure on Seoul for military deployment to help efforts to secure navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Lee, however, has ruled out deploying combat troops in response to the situation, saying South Korea would not send military personnel in a way that could draw it into an overseas conflict.

The latest summit, however, did not address the Hormuz issue, Wi said

The two leaders welcomed “significant progress” in discussions on strategic investment projects during their 30-minute meeting, which came after South Korea’s Industry Ministry briefed lawmakers on Tuesday on implementation plans under the countries’ $350 billion investment package.

– Nuclear subs, enriched uranium, operational control of troops

The summit also included discussions of Seoul’s pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines, rights to enrich uranium and reprocess spent nuclear fuel, and the transfer of wartime operational control of Korean troops from Washington, as well as cooperation in shipbuilding.

During the meeting, Trump reaffirmed his commitment to dialogue with North Korea.

Lee, in particular, asked Trump to make contributions to the resumption of North Korea-US dialogue.

The US president responded “positively,” saying he has a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Wi added.

Lee added that a US-China summit scheduled for Thursday would be important for regional developments, including South Korea-China relations, and voiced hope ‌for ⁠a successful meeting.

ANEWS wp:paragraph