Trump Reaffirms North Korea Dialogue Commitment in Summit With Lee

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed North Korea and a series of major alliance issues during a 30-minute summit on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.

Trump reaffirmed his commitment to dialogue with North Korea during the meeting, according to South Korean National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac. The statement put diplomacy with Pyongyang among the key subjects addressed by the two presidents, alongside security, nuclear policy and industrial cooperation.

The leaders also discussed Seoul’s pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines. South Korea’s interest in such vessels formed part of a broader set of defense and nuclear-policy questions raised during the summit. Those questions included South Korean rights to enrich uranium and reprocess spent nuclear fuel, Wi told reporters.

Another issue on the agenda was the transfer of wartime operational control of South Korean troops from Washington. The topic concerns command arrangements between the allies and was considered alongside the other pending bilateral matters during the meeting. The report did not provide details on any decisions or timetable related to the transfer.

Shipbuilding cooperation was also discussed. The inclusion of the sector placed industrial cooperation alongside the summit’s security agenda. Wi said the two leaders welcomed progress in bilateral strategic projects, although the report did not identify specific new agreements announced at the meeting.

The talks brought several complex alliance matters into a single high-level discussion. Nuclear-powered submarines, uranium enrichment, spent-fuel reprocessing and wartime operational control each involve substantial policy coordination between Seoul and Washington. Their appearance on the agenda showed the breadth of issues under consideration by the two governments.

The North Korea discussion provided the summit’s clearest diplomatic message. Trump’s renewed commitment to dialogue signaled continued interest in engagement, while the South Korean account did not describe a new negotiating proposal, schedule or response from Pyongyang.

Lee and Trump met while attending the U.N. General Assembly, giving the allies an opportunity to review bilateral priorities during the international gathering. The South Korean briefing characterized the session as covering multiple pending issues and highlighted the leaders’ positive assessment of progress on strategic projects. Further details about the projects and the next steps on the security issues were not disclosed in the initial account.