President Lee Jae Myung (second from left) on Aug. 25 is welcomed by U.S. President Donald Trump right after arriving at the White House in Washington.

By Yoon Sojung
Photos = Yonhap News

President Lee Jae Myung on Aug. 25 held his first summit with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, discussing a possible meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and boosting bilateral cooperation centered on shipbuilding.

At the Oval Office, both leaders making brief statements, held an informal news briefing and engaged in an expanded summit at the Cabinet Room.

In his statement, President Lee called his American counterpart a "peacemaker," adding, "I've never seen anyone as interested in global peace issues and achieve such tangible results as President Trump."

"If possible, please establish peace on the Korean Peninsula, the world's lone divided country," President Lee said. "Please also meet with North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un."

The two presidents also agreed to bolster bilateral economic cooperation centered on shipbuilding.

President Trump said Korea has a successful shipbuilding sector and that he hoped to work with Korea so that the U.S. can build ships again.

President Lee responded by saying, "The U.S. is apparently becoming great again," adding, "A Renaissance is taking place not only in shipbuilding but also manufacturing, and I hope the Republic of Korea can be part of this process."

On their bilateral alliance, President Lee said, "Based on the steadfast bilateral alliance, the Republic of Korea has grown and developed, and I hope that the alliance continues to expand in becoming future-oriented by covering the economy and science and technology."

The two presidents reaffirmed their intent to boost trilateral cooperation with Japan.

"Cooperation among Korea, the U.S. and Japan is a very important task," President Lee said. "To develop Korea-U.S. relations, we also need to improve Korea-Japan ties to an extent."

President Trump agreed, saying Tokyo hopes to improve ties with Seoul and the interests of Korea and Japan also align with policy toward North Korea.

In a briefing on closed-door talks between leaders, President Lee's spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said President Lee recommended that President Trump push for another meeting with Chairman Kim.

President Trump detailed his conversations with Chairman Kim, stressing that the North's nuclear threat has escalated during his short absence from the presidency. The U.S. leader then asked President Lee about his views on the North's ties with China and Russia.

President Lee invited President Trump to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, from late October and proposed a meetup with Chairman Kim.

President Trump hailed the proposal as a wise suggestion and pledged full U.S. support for it to President Lee. The American leader wrote a personal message to President Lee calling the latter a great man and leader who will give Korea an amazing future. 

President Lee Jae Myung (left) on Aug. 25 and U.S. President Donald Trump exchange a handshake at their bilateral summit hosted by the White House in Washington.