Ships, planes, billions in investment pledges: South Korea's Lee charms Trump with deals

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WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 25: U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung speech to reporters earlier an Oval Office gathering astatine the White House connected August 25, 2025 successful Washington, DC. During Lee's archetypal authoritative sojourn to the White House, the 2 leaders are acceptable to sermon commercialized and subject practice to antagonistic North Korea and China, South Korea's apical commercialized partner. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images News | Getty Images

The U.S. and South Korea announced a bid of agreements Monday successful Washington, including multibillion-dollar investments, grounds $50 cardinal aviation purchases by Korean Air, and caller vigor cooperation, arsenic leaders from some countries met successful the Oval Office.

This includes a $150 cardinal concern pledge from South Korean companies, an bid of 103 airplanes from Boeing, arsenic good arsenic a acquisition of South Korean ships and a shipbuilding partnership.

"We truly benignant of request each other. We emotion what they do. We emotion their products. We emotion their ships. We emotion a batch of the things that they make, and they emotion what we have," U.S. President Donald Trump said during his property conference with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.

The announcements followed a July commercialized deal that lowered U.S. tariffs connected South Korean exports — including autos — to 15% from 25%.

As portion of the deal, Seoul committed $350 cardinal successful investments successful the U.S., with $150 cardinal earmarked for shipbuilding cooperation.

It was not instantly wide if Monday's pledge overlapped with that earlier figure, though Reuters reported that the $150 cardinal pledge was abstracted from the $350 cardinal that the July woody encompassed.

Lee said successful his remarks that "I judge that determination is simply a renaissance taking spot not lone successful the shipbuilding assemblage but besides successful the manufacturing industry, and I anticipation that Korea tin beryllium a portion of that renaissance."

Separately, Korean Air announced an astir $50 cardinal woody to bargain craft and engines from U.S. manufacturers.

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The woody by South Korea's emblem bearer consists of a $36.2 cardinal acquisition of 103 craft from U.S. craft shaper Boeing, arsenic good arsenic craft engines and attraction services from GE Aerospace worthy $13.7 billion.

South Korean media outlet Yonhap said this was the largest woody successful the airline's history.

Trump besides said that the U.S. volition spouse with South Korea and Japan to make Alaska's earthy state reserves, though helium did not disclose immoderate details of the plan. Seoul had committed to acquisition $100 cardinal of U.S. vigor nether its July deal.

Back successful April, the overseas ministers of the U.S., South Korea and Japan met successful Brussels and "committed to proceed strengthening vigor information and vigor cooperation, underpinned by America's LNG and different vigor sources and technologies, successful a mutually beneficial manner."

They besides reaffirmed their committedness to determination security, including countering North Korea's atomic program.

On Monday, Trump had expressed a tendency to conscionable North Korean person Kim Jong Un this year, saying, "I get on with him truly well. I deliberation helium has a state of large potential, tremendous potential."

Pyongyang did not instantly respond to Trump's remarks, though its state media KCNA enactment retired a connection Monday denouncing an ongoing annual subject drill betwixt the U.S. and South Korea, labeling Washington the "arch transgression threatening humankind with nukes and the main culprit disturbing peace."

Trump and Kim had met for 2 summits during the U.S. President's archetypal word successful office, but failed to travel to immoderate statement connected the North's atomic and ballistic rocket program.

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