US President Donald Trump met with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung at the White House. Trump refused to change the 15% tariff on South Korean goods, but both leaders expressed optimism about security cooperation and shipbuilding. Lee presented a $150 billion plan called “Make America Shipbuilding Great Again”, which includes building new US shipyards, training shipbuilding personnel, and maintaining US Navy ships.
On trade, Trump said the US and South Korea “need each other.” After the meeting, Lee announced that South Korea will increase defense spending to take a more leading role in security on the Korean Peninsula. Trump also said he has a “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and looks forward to meeting him again. Previously, Trump and Kim held historic summits in Singapore (2018), Hanoi (2019), and Panmunjom (2019).
