Trump to South Korea’s Lee: ‘Look forward’ to meeting N Korea’s Kim Jong Un

In White House gathering with Lee, Trump besides says US should person ownership of onshore lodging US subject basal successful South Korea.

United States President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung person expressed their willingness to prosecute with North Korea’s hereditary leader, Kim Jong Un, during a gathering astatine the White House.

Lee, who has promised to “heal the wounds of part and war” arsenic South Korea’s caller president, told the US person connected Monday that his North Korean counterpart “will beryllium waiting” to conscionable him.

“I anticipation you tin bring bid to the Korean Peninsula, the lone divided federation successful the world, truthful that you tin conscionable with Kim Jong Un”, and “build a Trump Tower successful North Korea truthful that I tin play play there”, Lee said, speaking successful Korean.

Trump, who has met with Kim connected 3 past occasions, told reporters successful the Oval Office that helium hopes to conscionable the North Korean person again this year.

“Someday, I’ll spot him. I look guardant to seeing him. He was precise bully with me,” Trump said, adding that helium knew Kim “better than anybody, almost, different than his sister”.

During his gathering with the South Korean president, Trump besides said the US should person ownership of South Korean onshore wherever immoderate 28,500 American troops are stationed successful US subject bases.

“We spent a batch of wealth gathering a fort, and determination was a publication made by South Korea, but I would similar to spot if we could get escaped of the lease and get ownership of the onshore wherever we person a monolithic subject base,” Trump said.

This was Lee’s archetypal sojourn to the White House aft helium was elected successful June pursuing the impeachment of erstwhile President Yoon Suk-yeol, who concisely imposed martial law precocious past twelvemonth successful a determination swiftly overturned by lawmakers and which has led to his apprehension connected alleged insurrection charges.

Since taking office, Lee has publically made efforts to amended South Korea’s narration with its bluish neighbour. But Pyongyang has truthful acold rebuffed the diplomatic overtures.

Last week, Lee said helium would seek to restore the alleged September 19 Military Agreement, signed astatine an inter-Korean acme successful 2018, suspending subject enactment on South Korea’s borderline with North Korea arsenic portion of an effort to rebuild trust.

Lee’s announcement was met with criticism from North Korea, which noted that it came arsenic South Korea embarked connected joint subject drills with the United States.

North Korean authorities media said that the drills proved Washington’s volition to “occupy” the full Korean Peninsula .

“If they continuously persist successful the subject rehearsal, they volition surely look up the unpleasant concern and wage a beloved price,” Kim Yong Bok, archetypal vice-chief of the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army, was cited by North Korean authorities media KCNA arsenic saying.

‘A raid connected churches’

Hours earlier Lee arrived astatine the White House, Trump took to societal media to denounce what helium described arsenic “a Purge oregon Revolution” successful South Korea. “WHAT IS GOING ON IN SOUTH KOREA? Seems similar a Purge oregon Revolution. We can’t person that and bash concern there,” Trump wrote connected his Truth Social platform.

Asked astir his station during his gathering with Lee, Trump said, “I americium definite it’s a misunderstanding, but there’s a rumour going astir astir raiding churches … I did perceive that from intel.”

Last month, South Korean Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki’s squad raided Unification Church facilities and officials linked with the spiritual sect, portion “investigating assorted allegations involving erstwhile archetypal woman Kim Keon Hee”, South Korea’s authoritative Yonhap News Agency said.

Seoul constabulary besides raided Sarang Jeil Church, headed by evangelical preacher Jun Kwang-hoon, who led protests successful enactment of the removed President Yoon.

The constabulary person besides investigated pro-Yoon activists who stormed a tribunal successful precocious January aft it extended Yoon’s detention, and successful July, peculiar prosecutors investigating the declaration of martial instrumentality served a hunt warrant connected the Korean portion of a subject basal jointly operated with the US.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies