President Lee Jae Myung (left) on Aug. 25 shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump after their bilateral summit at the White House in Washington. (Korea's Office of the President)

By Lee Jihae

President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump on Oct. 29 held their second bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province.

This meeting followed their first in Washington in late August, marking the shortest period between reciprocal visits by the leaders of both countries.

President Lee greeted his American counterpart at the Gyeongju National Museum. Prior to this were events like signing of the guestbook, photo ops, welcoming ceremony and social gathering.

The Office of the President in Seoul prepared a customized replica of a gold crown for President Trump, who is a state guest on this trip. He will also receive the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, Korea's highest honor.

The official bilateral summit including a luncheon was attended by leading officials from both countries.

This meeting covered key issues such as the management and profit-sharing of Korea's proposed USD 350 billion investment in the U.S., the most contentious point in follow-up negotiations on the tariff agreement, as well as the bilateral alliance and North Korea.

Seoul and Washington remain apart over issues such as the scale of Korea's cash investment, profit sharing and selection of investment destinations. Thus whether both presidents can narrow these differences in their summit is attracting keen attention.

President Lee will also hold bilateral summits with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Oct. 30 and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Nov. 1.

jihlee08@korea.kr