Trump Open to Seoul's North Korea Nuclear Plan

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung announced that US President Donald Trump had agreed to consider his proposal to prioritize halting North Korea's nuclear and missile programs in the short term, with complete denuclearization remaining a long-term goal.

He made the announcement at a press conference upon his return from a 10-day working trip to Europe, during which he sat next to Trump for about 90 minutes at a dinner during the G7 summit in France.

According to Lee, Trump expressed interest in resuming dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Lee also explained to the US president that sanctions and pressure alone would not solve the problem. Pyongyang already possesses a nuclear arsenal, is capable of producing enough material for an additional 10 to 20 weapons annually, and has seen the effectiveness of sanctions decline significantly because of its military cooperation with Russia related to the war in Ukraine.

The short-term goal, he said, should be to freeze production of nuclear material and halt development of intercontinental ballistic missiles. Trump responded to the phased plan by saying it could be one possible path and that he would give it careful consideration.

The two leaders also discussed economic matters. Trump asked whether South Korea could quickly build 10 US warships, to which Seoul responded affirmatively. The country had previously committed, as part of a trade agreement with Washington, to investing $150bn in the US shipbuilding industry.

(Reuters, Max)