President Trump said Friday that his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in was bringing the two allies closer together on trade and a strategy to deal with the dangerous regime in North Korea.
“We accomplished a lot having to do with our thoughts on North Korea and very much our thoughts on trade,” Mr. Trump told reporters at a meeting with Mr. Moon in the Oval Office.
He said negotiations were underway to revise a trade deal with Korea, which is a major U.S. trading partner.
“Hopefully, it will be an equitable deal. It will be a fair deal for both parties,” Mr. Trump said. “It’s been a rough deal for the U.S., but I think that it will be much different and will be good for both parties.”
The two leaders also have been talking extensively about North Korea, where the hawkish Mr. Trump and dovish Mr. Moon were not expected to see eye-to-eye.
“We’re also in the process of discussing our, frankly, many options. We have many options with respect to North Korea,” Mr. Trump said.
The meetings Friday followed a dinner Thursday at the White House, where the two leaders and their wives met for the first time.
Mr. Moon thanked Mr. Trump for his hospitality and his commitment to the close alliance between their countries.
“Last night after dinner with President Trump, we discussed various issues through diverse scope and honest discussions to include the North Korean issue and other issues of mutual interest,” Mr. Moon said. “It was a great opportunity for us to further the trust and friendship between me and President Trump.”
He noted that Mr. Trump was the first foreign leader to call after his recent upset win in the South Korean election.
“I believe that was to reconfirm the strength of the Korean-U.S. alliance,” Mr. Moon said.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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