Trump Agrees to Seek Resumption of Talks With North Korea
US President Donald Trump has agreed to South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s request to work toward resuming talks between Washington and North Korea. The issue was raised during the two leaders’ meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
According to Yonhap, the two presidents also discussed strategic projects, bilateral investment and defence cooperation. They welcomed progress in implementing a $350 billion investment package.
The meeting also covered South Korea’s nuclear submarines, the right to enrich uranium and reprocess nuclear fuel, the wartime operational control transfer of South Korean forces, and cooperation in the shipbuilding industry. Trump said in connection with North Korea that he has a good relationship with Kim Jong-un.
At the same time, South Korea’s national security adviser said the issue of the Strait of Hormuz was not discussed at the meeting. This comes as Yonhap reported that Washington is pressuring Seoul to take part militarily in securing shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, while Lee had previously rejected deploying South Korean combat troops to the region.
North Korea has been at the centre of security tensions in East Asia for years, and talks between Washington and Pyongyang have repeatedly stalled at various times. The Strait of Hormuz is also regarded as one of the world’s key energy transit routes.
