President Lee Jae-myung and U.S. President Donald Trump held a summit of about 30 minutes at a New York hotel on the evening of Sept. 22 (local time). The meeting was not previously scheduled during the U.N. General Assembly, and was confirmed only that morning. The two leaders assessed progress on strategic investment in the United States and discussed shipbuilding cooperation, the transfer of wartime operational control, fuel for nuclear-powered submarines, the outlook for U.S.-North Korea dialogue and the upcoming U.S.-China summit.
President Lee Jae-myung and U.S. President Donald Trump held a summit of about 30 minutes at a New York hotel starting at 7:20 p.m. on Sept. 22 (local time). The meeting took place while Lee was in New York for the 81st U.N. General Assembly. Whether it would happen had drawn attention since before the trip, but the schedule was not finalized until that morning.
The meeting was arranged in a hurry as discussions on strategic investment in the United States made progress, and it was held alongside a reception hosted by President Trump. On the U.S. side, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles attended. On the Korean side, National Security Office Director Wi Sung-lac and Foreign Minister Cho Hyun took part.
From Shipbuilding Cooperation to Wartime Operational Control and Nuclear Submarine Fuel
After the meeting, National Security Office Director Wi Sung-lac said the two leaders welcomed the significant progress made in talks on strategic investment between the two countries. He also explained that they agreed to deepen cooperation in various areas based on the joint fact sheet the two countries issued last November.
The leaders also addressed shipbuilding cooperation, the transfer of wartime operational control, and issues related to fuel for nuclear-powered submarines, as well as enrichment and reprocessing. They also exchanged views on the possibility of resuming U.S.-North Korea dialogue and on the upcoming U.S.-China summit.
President Lee arrived in New York on the 21st and visited Koreatown in Manhattan with first lady Kim Hye-kyung. On the afternoon of the 22nd, he laid out his "three major pillars of peaceful coexistence" vision for the Korean Peninsula in his keynote address at the 81st U.N. General Assembly. The summit followed that evening. President Lee wrapped up his New York schedule on the 23rd and left for a state visit to Mexico. His overseas trip runs through the 27th.
For Korean Americans in New York and New Jersey, the most tangible part of this meeting is the discussion of investment in the United States. If Korean companies' investment projects in the U.S. move forward, the effects could extend to the Korean business community and corporate expatriates in New Jersey and the New York area. Specific follow-up measures are expected to be worked out in working-level talks between the two countries.