President Lee Asks Trump to Play Role in Korean Peninsula Peace...Proposes Supply Chain Recovery Solutions at G7 (Comprehensive)

Trump: "I Will Play a Role in the Korean Peninsula Issue"

End-of-War Negotiations, Strait of Hormuz, and Other Key Topics Discussed... President Lee Congratulates Trump on Agreement Reached on His Birthday

Office of the President: "Consensus on Importance of Korea-U.S.-Japan Cooperation Based on Korea-U.S. Alliance"... Shipbuilding Cooperation Discussed

Trump Assesses President Lee as a "Strong Leader"

President Lee Again Urges Trump to Serve as "Peacemaker"

Office of the President: "Korea Strengthened Its Status as a Responsible Global Power at G7 Summit"... Concludes European Tour

President Lee Jae-myung held extensive discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump on issues including peace on the Korean Peninsula, the situation in the Middle East, and the Korea-U.S. alliance, on the occasion of the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Evian-les-Bains, France. While it was not an official bilateral meeting, the two leaders sat side by side and conversed for about two hours during the dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and his spouse, strengthening trust between them.

President Lee Jae-myung and First Lady Kim Hye-kyung, having completed the G7 summit and a European tour, are moving to Air Force One at Geneva Airport, Switzerland, on the 17th (local time). Behind the presidential couple is Air Force One, which was used by U.S. President Donald Trump. June 18, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Oh Hyun-joo, Third Deputy Director of the National Security Office, stated at a briefing on the 17th (local time), "At the official dinner hosted by President Macron and his spouse on the 16th, President Lee exchanged close views with President Trump on the Korea-U.S. alliance, the situation in the Middle East, and regional and global issues, including matters concerning the Korean Peninsula."

President Lee first welcomed the conclusion of the end-of-war negotiations between the United States and Iran, congratulating President Trump on reaching the agreement on his birthday. He then praised President Trump's efforts toward establishing peace in the Middle East and resolving the Iranian nuclear issue. The two leaders agreed on the importance of free and safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, and shared expectations that stability in the Middle East could lead to oil price stability and a recovery in the global economy.

The Korean Peninsula issue was also brought up. President Lee said, "Following the progress in the Middle East, I hope for your continued interest and engagement so that sustainable peace can also take root on the Korean Peninsula." According to Deputy Director Oh, President Trump expressed keen interest in the geopolitical history of the peninsula and the current state of inter-Korean relations, and showed strong determination, stating that he would play the necessary role to advance the Korean Peninsula issue. President Lee also reiterated his earlier request for President Trump to act as a "peacemaker" as previously suggested, and President Trump mentioned the need for continued close cooperation on North Korea-related matters, according to the Office of the President.

The two leaders also discussed mutually beneficial cooperation, including in the shipbuilding sector. When asked whether cooperation in shipbuilding and the construction of nuclear submarines had been concretely linked, a key official from the Office of the President said, "Specific cooperation measures were not discussed," but added, "Regarding the investments agreed upon between Korea and the U.S., including the shipbuilding sector, there is deep mutual trust and a basic consensus between the two leaders."

President Lee Jae-myung and U.S. President Donald Trump are taking a commemorative photo at the official dinner of the Group of Seven (G7) summit held in Evian-les-Bains, France, on the 16th (local time). 2026.6.17 Yonhap News Agency

The importance of trilateral cooperation among Korea, the United States, and Japan was also discussed. Deputy Director Oh explained, "The two leaders agreed on the importance of Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation, based on the strong Korea-U.S. alliance. President Trump assessed President Lee as a 'strong leader' and expressed expectations that the two leaders could contribute together to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in the region."

The two leaders also had several contacts during the summit period, aside from the G7 official dinner. They spoke briefly after the commemorative photo at the welcoming event for invited countries, during transitions between venues, and after the concert.

President Lee also held individual bilateral meetings with the leaders of Germany, Canada, and Kenya during this G7 summit. The Office of the President assessed this summit as "an opportunity to solidify Korea's status as a responsible global power aiming for G7 Plus." Korea attended the G7 summit as an invited country for the second consecutive year, following last year.

Major agenda items at this summit included establishing new partnerships, balanced and inclusive economic growth, and the safe, rapid, and efficient adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). In discussions on development cooperation, President Lee emphasized the need to move beyond a one-sided aid relationship between recipient and donor countries to build mutually beneficial partnerships. During the economic growth session, he stressed that global imbalance issues should be resolved not through mutual blame but through solidarity and dialogue.

In particular, President Lee pointed out that recent developments in the Middle East could lead to oil supply disruptions and inflationary pressures, and proposed establishing a cooperation framework among energy-importing countries in the Asia-Pacific region. He suggested moving beyond responses at the individual country level to seek ways to share information, implement early warning systems, cooperate in emergencies, and stabilize the supply chain of oil and petroleum products. The government plans to utilize the existing energy security framework centered on the International Energy Agency (IEA) and to support the IEA Singapore Regional Cooperation Center as a hub for Asia's energy security cooperation.

President Lee Jae-myung is attending the working luncheon at the expanded summit of the Group of Seven (G7) held on June 17 (local time) in Evian-les-Bains, France. From left to right: U.S. President Donald Trump, Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, President Lee Jae-myung, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. 2026.6.17 Yonhap News Agency

In the final session of the G7 summit, a working luncheon, President Lee presented "sharing" and "safety" as key tasks that the international community must address together in the AI era. The working luncheon, held under the theme "Ensuring Safe, Rapid, and Efficient AI Adoption," covered topics such as growth, resilience, cybersecurity, protection of minors, and safeguarding democracy. In addition to the leaders of G7 member countries and the five invited countries, CEOs of major global IT companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, Google DeepMind, Mistral AI, Cohere, and Salesforce also attended.

President Lee pointed out that while AI has the potential to accelerate productivity innovation, if the benefits are not spread evenly, the gap between countries and among people could widen. He introduced Korea's efforts to enable all citizens to utilize a certain level of AI under the concept of "AI for All." President Lee emphasized that such an approach is necessary at the international level as well, and that gaps in AI capabilities between countries must not lead to gaps in development and growth.

AI safety was also highlighted as a core message. President Lee stated that AI, if used correctly, can be a useful tool for humanity, but if abused, could lead to mass destruction and pose a civilization-level threat. He added that since the international community is focusing on the development of AI, efforts to ensure safety must be pursued in parallel, with joint efforts by governments and the private sector, and enhanced cooperation between countries. He also pointed out that the pace of safety measures is not keeping up with the speed of technological advancement.

President Lee Jae-myung and First Lady Kim Hye-kyung are taking a commemorative photo with members of a children's choir at the official dinner of the Group of Seven (G7) summit held in Evian-les-Bains, France, on the 16th (local time). June 17, 2026 (Photo by Alexandra Lebon @ Presidence de la Republique Francaise) Yonhap News Agency

The outcome documents of the G7 summit were finalized. In addition to three documents adopted the day before the summit's conclusion—on development, Ebola, and cancer eradication—three more were adopted on the afternoon of the 17th: "Balanced, Sustainable, and Resilient Growth," "Stabilization of Core Mineral Supply Chains," and "A Safe Digital Environment for Minors."

The "Balanced, Sustainable, and Resilient Growth" document includes content on alleviating global imbalances, strengthening the resilience of supply chains such as energy and fertilizers, energy cooperation through the IEA, reforms to the World Trade Organization (WTO), and strengthening macroeconomic cooperation through the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the Group of 20 (G20). The "A Safe Digital Environment for Minors" document emphasizes protection-oriented default settings, age verification, parental control tools, AI conversational service safeguards, and countermeasures against child sexual exploitation materials and non-consensual deepfakes.

Korea joined seven out of the eight outcome documents adopted as a result of the G7 summit’s expanded session. However, it did not participate in the declaration on "Stabilization of Core Mineral Supply Chains." The Office of the President stated that it supports the G7's efforts to diversify core mineral supply chains and build resilient supply networks.

With the conclusion of the G7 summit, President Lee completed the multilateral diplomatic schedule of his first European tour in his second year in office. The Office of the President outlined plans to expand Korea's role in multilateral diplomacy, connecting last year's APEC chairmanship, two consecutive years of G7 participation, and the presidency of the G20 in 2028. A key official stated, "G7 Plus is not a goal set for a specific point in time, but rather a process of strengthening Korea's global diplomatic capabilities," adding, "The very fact that Korea attended the G7 summit again this year following last year is the result of these efforts."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.