South Korea-U.S. Leaders Meet Dramatically in New York... Lee's Persistence Pays Off

Behind-the-Scenes of the Surprise Korea-U.S. Summit That Had Seemed Unlikely to Happen
President Lee Moves to Separate Room During Reception for 30-Minute Talks
Trump Holds His Last Bilateral Summit with President Lee... Breaks the Ice with "Golf"
Both Leaders Welcome "Significant Progress in Strategic Investments in the U.S."

President Lee Raises Operational Control for the First Time... Trump Shows Strong Interest in Shipbuilding Cooperation
Trump Says, "I Have a Good Relationship with Kim Jong Un"... Affirms Willingness for Dialogue with North Korea
Follow-Up Consultations Agreed on Nuclear-Powered Submarines and the Nuclear Agreement, Which Had Seen Little Progress

The Korea-U.S. summit in New York, which had seemed highly unlikely, was dramatically realized following a breakthrough in last-minute investment negotiations with the U.S. President Lee Jaemyung, while attending the United Nations General Assembly, moved to a separate area near the event venue on the 22nd (local time) after attending a reception hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump and his wife, and sat down face-to-face with President Trump for about 30 minutes. The summit, which had not been confirmed even upon departure for New York, was hastily arranged on site after the investment talks took a positive turn, with the final confirmation coming on the day of the meeting itself.

President Lee Jae-myung, who is visiting the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly, is holding a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump at a hotel in New York on the 22nd (local time). 2026.9.23 Yonhap News Photo by Yonhap

A senior official from the Blue House told reporters in New York that day, "Although investment-related discussions were in the final stages, the process was quite complicated and prospects were gloomy, so we had not specifically pursued a summit," adding, "After the investment negotiations progressed well, we pushed for the meeting again in a hurry, and it materialized." Present at the meeting on the U.S. side were Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. On the Korean side, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and National Security Adviser Wi Sung-rak attended.

Preparations for the summit were extremely rushed. The Korean side requested the summit from the U.S. side once it became likely that investment negotiations would result in a favorable outcome, and continued coordinating even after arrival in New York. The decision on whether to hold the summit was reportedly made only that morning.

The summit began at around 7:20 p.m. President Lee arrived at the reception venue at 7 p.m., conversed with other heads of state, and then moved to a separate room in the same hotel. President Trump did not enter the reception first, but waited for President Lee in this separate space. After the meeting, both leaders joined the reception together.

For President Trump, the Korea-U.S. summit that day was his last bilateral engagement during the UN General Assembly. It is reported that President Trump remarked during the meeting that, after a string of events starting at 7 a.m. that morning, his meeting with President Lee was his final schedule. Effectively, he dedicated the last 30 minutes to a separate summit with President Lee, arranged at the last minute.

The summit began on a light note. According to a senior official, after shaking hands with President Lee, President Trump inquired about First Lady Kim Hye-gyeong, asking, "How is the First Lady?" and "Where is your beautiful wife?" before bringing up the topic of golf.

The focus of the conversation soon shifted to investments in the United States. Both leaders welcomed the significant progress made in strategic investment projects between Korea and the U.S. The senior official explained that although specific first-stage projects or topics like the Alaska LNG and nuclear power plant projects were not discussed between the leaders, "Both leaders received briefings on the details of the investment negotiations and welcomed the progress." The official then added, "With regard to U.S. investment, the negotiations team will further determine how to make future announcements and to what extent the details will be finalized."

The U.S. investment negotiations, which made significant strides during the United Nations General Assembly period, also helped bring to the table a range of previously stalled security and economic issues for the two leaders to discuss. Notably, President Lee reportedly devoted considerable time to explaining the transition of wartime operational control. According to the Blue House, this was the first time that President Lee had directly raised the issue of operational control transfer to President Trump at a summit level. After hearing the explanation, President Trump is said to have responded with the intention of proceeding with follow-up high-level discussions.

At the meeting, President Trump reportedly expressed the greatest interest in shipbuilding cooperation. President Trump showed considerable enthusiasm for shipbuilding collaboration, including the construction of naval vessels that the United States needs, and suggested moving quickly with follow-up discussions, according to the Blue House.

President Lee Jae-myung, who is visiting the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly, is holding a summit meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at a hotel in New York on the 22nd (local time). 2026.9.23 Yonhap News Photo by Yonhap News

Nuclear-powered submarines and the Korea-U.S. nuclear agreement issue were also discussed again. The Korean side explained its intention to increase defense spending and assume more responsibility in the defense of the Korean Peninsula. In that context, they also emphasized the need to expedite discussions related to nuclear submarines. Both sides agreed to proceed as soon as possible in Washington with follow-up consultations on nuclear submarine fuel, uranium enrichment, spent nuclear fuel reprocessing, shipbuilding, and operational control. The senior official stated, "Because we made progress on investment, there was a shared understanding that related issues should also move forward together."

However, the Blue House took a cautious position on interpreting the leaders' conversation at the summit as a "resumption of security negotiations." The senior official explained, "It is hard to say that we agreed to resume talks today," and added, "We raised many issues and President Trump, after listening, suggested holding follow-up consultations. While there has been some progress and the atmosphere was positive, it is too early to conclude that negotiations have resumed."

The dramatically arranged summit also addressed the issue of North Korea-U.S. dialogue. President Lee conveyed to President Trump his expectation that Trump would play a role in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue and in restarting North Korea-U.S. talks. President Trump also expressed willingness to contribute. In particular, President Trump is reported to have expressed confidence by noting that he maintains a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and that he is almost the only person with such a relationship.

Previously, President Lee had stressed the need for a phased approach, in which North Korea’s advancement of nuclear and missile capabilities would first be halted, then reduced, and ultimately, denuclearization would be achieved in the long term. Given President Trump’s continued interest in dialogue with North Korea, the Blue House reported that during this meeting, the two leaders agreed to maintain close communication to establish lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, each acting as a 'peacemaker' and 'pacemaker' respectively.

President Lee Jae-myung, visiting the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly, is holding a summit meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at a hotel in New York on the 22nd (local time). 2026.9.23 Yonhap News Agency

As the meeting concluded, President Lee reportedly mentioned the possibility of attending the G20 Summit scheduled for December in Miami, Florida, stating, "It would be nice to play golf there," to President Trump, according to the senior official.

Meanwhile, the major issue of the Strait of Hormuz was not discussed at this summit. The Blue House stated that given the tight 30-minute agenda, there was no separate mention of the dispatch to Hormuz or related issues.

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