Full Breakdown
South Korean President Urges Trump to Pursue Dialogue with North Korea
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Push for U.S.–North Korea Talks
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung told reporters at the Blue House that U.S. President Donald Trump “clearly” wants to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and that Lee is “urging” Trump to move forward.
Background & Context
Trump announced in August that he intends to meet Kim later this year, reviving the personal diplomacy of his first term. The announcement followed his decision to scale back “costly” joint U.S.–South Korea drills, a move he said sent an “inappropriate and hostile” signal to Pyongyang. The United States, South Korea and Japan are scheduled to conclude the trilateral exercise Freedom Edge 26 on September 11. Separately, Lee affirmed that South Korea will not deploy troops to the Iran-related conflict, limiting any action to “minimum necessary” protection of merchant vessels.
Official Statements & Responses
Lee emphasized that “every possible effort” should be made to turn the possibility of dialogue into reality, without committing to a specific timeline. Trump, in his August remarks, highlighted the existence of “57 very powerful nuclear weapons” in North Korea and framed his personal rapport with Kim as a positive factor. The U.S. Pacific Command described Freedom Edge 26 as advancing “trilateral readiness across the Indo-Pacific.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “You know what, the fact that I get along with him, that's a good thing not a bad thing. He has 57 very powerful nuclear weapons. Should have never allowed it to happen,” — Donald Trump, US president
- “While somewhat unrelated (?), I recently asked the President of South Korea if they would like to join us in the Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they said, 'No thanks!'” — Donald Trump, US president
- “The present situation, in which new records are set in terms of practical action hostile toward the DPRK, stresses the need to break records in our responsive action, proportional or more offensive in its nature,” — Kim Yo Jong
- “Our will to defend our sovereignty will be expressed in clearer action and there will be never ever change in the course of intensifying the nuclear war deterrence.” — Friday. She