Trump, South Korea’s Lee stress common ground in White House meeting
US President Donald Trump struck a cordial tone in his meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Monday, despite making remarks just hours earlier that threatened to set an uneasy backdrop for the talks.
“It’s an honour to be with President Lee of South Korea. We’ve known each other and gotten along very well,” Trump said at the Oval Office, adding that he felt “very warmly” about the country.
Earlier in the day, Trump had posted on his social media platform that there seemed to be a “purge or revolution” in South Korea, noting that “we can’t have that and do business there”.
The post was subsequently criticised by South Korea’s justice minister, Jeong Seong-ho, who said that the US president had “distorted information” about Lee and the country’s ruling party.
In the Oval Office, Trump said his post was prompted by reports of church raids in South Korea and that he would further discuss the issue with Lee, noting it was likely a “misunderstanding”.
Addressing an audience of US and Korean officials, Trump highlighted South Korea’s key role in US shipbuilding while asserting that Seoul needed US energy and military equipment.