South Koren Prez Lee, Trump to hold first summit at White House on August 25

Seoul:  South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump will hold their first summit in Washington on August 25 to discuss ways to bolster the two nations’ alliance and cooperation in advanced industries, the presidential office said Tuesday.

Lee will depart for a three-day visit to the United States on August 24, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung told reporters, marking his first visit to the US since he took office in early June.

“The two leaders plan to discuss ways to develop the Korea-US alliance into a future-oriented, comprehensive strategic alliance in response to the changing international security and economic environment,” Kang said.

“They will also discuss ways to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula and coordinate on denuclearization, while further strengthening the robust Korea-US combined deterrence posture,” she added.

The talks will also cover industrial cooperation in the semiconductor, battery and shipbuilding sectors, as well as economic partnerships in cutting-edge technologies and critical minerals, based on the trade deal the two countries clinched earlier this month, Kang noted.

The summit comes weeks after Seoul clinched a trade deal with Washington, cutting the planned 25 per cent tariffs to 15 per cent in return for a US$350 billion investment pledge, $100 billion in US energy purchases and commitments on industrial cooperation, Yonhap news agency reported.

Talks are expected to feature contentious issues, including details of the investment pledge, the future of the military alliance between the two nations and policy coordination North Korea.

Gen. Xavier Brunson, the commander of the US Forces Korea, recently addressed the need for changes to reflect the changing security environment in Northeast Asia compared with when the alliance was forged 75 years ago.

South Korea is seeking to strengthen security ties with Washington as North Korea deepens military cooperation with Russia and advances its nuclear weapons program, while also striving to maintain stable relations with China, its largest trading partner.

While there was speculation that Lee might stop in Japan on the way to the US, Kang said Lee’s potential visit to Japan has not been decided.

–IANS