President Lee Jae Myung said Friday he told U.S. President Donald Trump during the G7 summit in France that the North Korean nuclear issue should not be handled the same way as those of other countries.
President Lee Jae Myung said Friday he told U.S. President Donald Trump during the G7 summit in France that the North Korean nuclear issue should not be handled the same way as those of other countries.
Lee revealed the details at a press briefing on his 10-day Europe trip that ended Thursday. The two leaders spoke several times during the summit, including at a dinner banquet on Tuesday. Trump expressed regret for failing to take appropriate action before North Korea effectively acquired nuclear weapons, Lee said.
Lee said he proposed a phased approach of first halting North Korea's production of nuclear materials and shipping existing ones overseas before pursuing long-term denuclearization. Trump responded that it could be one way and that he would think about it. Lee also said he asked Pope Leo XIV during a Monday meeting at the Vatican to visit North Korea and the Demilitarized Zone. The pope said he would actively consider and pursue the proposal.
