President Donald Trump signaled that he is willing to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to remarks he made during a summit with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the White House on Monday. The two leaders discussed prospects for peace on the Korean Peninsula and Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program.
Lee, who took office in June after the impeachment of his predecessor, urged Trump to play a central role in restarting dialogue between the two Koreas. “I think you are the first president to have so much interest in the world’s peace issues and actually made achievements,” Lee told Trump. “So, I hope you would make peace on the Korean Peninsula … and meet with Kim Jong Un.”
Lee added that he would “actively support” Trump if he wanted to “play the peacemaker,” stressing that the U.S. president was “the only person who can actually solve” tensions on the peninsula. North and South Korea remain technically at war, as the Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
Trump responded positively, suggesting that renewed talks with Pyongyang may be possible. “I will do that, and we’ll have talks. He’d like to meet with me,” Trump said of Kim. “We look forward to meeting with him, and we’ll make relations better. You’ll help that.”
Economic Deals Accompany the Summit
Lee’s visit was also closely watched for its economic dimension. Traveling with a large delegation of South Korean business leaders, he unveiled major investment pledges in the U.S.
Korean Air announced plans to purchase 103 aircraft from Boeing, alongside engines and maintenance programs from GE Aerospace and CFM International — a package worth $50 billion. Hyundai Motor Group also said it would raise its planned U.S. investment from $21 billion to $26 billion.
In total, South Korean firms committed about $150 billion in new investments, Lee revealed at a U.S.–South Korea business roundtable.
Gifts and Symbolic Gestures
In a lighter moment, Lee presented Trump with personalized gifts, including two “Make America Great Again” cowboy hats, a tailor-made golf putter, and a model of a Korean “turtle ship.” Playing to Trump’s well-known passion for golf, Lee joked that a Trump Tower should be built in North Korea, “so I can go play golf in Pyongyang as well.”
Diplomatic Uncertainty
Despite the upbeat tone, uncertainty remains over whether a Trump-Kim meeting could take place. North Korea has recently criticized joint U.S.–South Korea military drills, with state media accusing Washington of seeking to “occupy” the peninsula, Reuters reported Tuesday.
For now, Lee’s visit underscores both the opportunities and challenges facing Seoul as it seeks to maintain close ties with Washington while navigating Trump’s “America First” agenda and regional security tensions.
