Trump Holds Surprise Summit with Lee, Delays Keynote by 30 Minutes... Melania Arrives Early to Welcome Kim Hye Kyung

US-Korea Summit Extends 30 Minutes, Exceeding Scheduled 10 Minutes
Trump Continues Talks with Lee Despite Protocol Reminders
Trump Directs Wiles to Review Schedule for "Miami Golf Meeting"

During a South Korea-U.S. summit that was dramatically arranged on the occasion of President Lee Jaemyung's attendance at the United Nations General Assembly, U.S. President Donald Trump delayed the keynote speech for a reception organized at the General Assembly by 30 minutes to continue his conversation with President Lee. It was also reported that when President Lee brought up the idea of a golf meeting as an ice-breaker, President Trump instructed White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles to try to set up such a meeting.

According to Blue House officials on the 27th, the South Korea-U.S. summit held in New York on the 22nd (local time) was considered unlikely to take place due to delays in the signing of South Korea's first major investment agreement with the U.S., and even if it did, the South Korean side only planned for a roughly 10-minute meeting. This was because a presidential reception hosted by President Trump was scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m., with Trump's keynote speech set for 7:30 p.m.

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 Agency

The U.S. side proposed that the two leaders meet starting around 7:20 p.m. President Lee arrived at the reception venue at this time, mingling with other leaders, before moving to a separate location for a sit-down meeting with President Trump.

However, the meeting, which was originally expected to last about 10 minutes, was extended to 30 minutes. At 7:30 p.m., an American ceremonial official signaled that it was time to leave for the keynote speech, but President Trump reportedly continued the conversation. As a result, President Trump’s keynote speech, originally scheduled for 7:30 p.m., was delayed by about an hour.

President Trump extended the meeting with President Lee well beyond the allotted time, even pushing back the schedule for his own speech at a reception attended by multiple world leaders. With the summit lasting much longer than expected, the two leaders discussed not only the Korean investment agreement but also a wide range of key issues including the transfer of wartime operational control, nuclear-powered submarines, uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing, shipbuilding cooperation, and North Korea-U.S. dialogue. Wi Sunglak, the then director of the National Security Office, also confirmed that the meeting ran for approximately 30 minutes, starting at 7:20 p.m.

"How about Miami?"...Trump Instructs Wiles to Review the Schedule

The possibility of "golf diplomacy" between the two leaders was also further solidified. President Trump brought up golf as a topic early in the meeting. After asking President Lee about the well-being of First Lady Kim Hye-kyung, Trump suggested that they play golf together, thus setting a friendly tone. The two presidents revisited the topic of golf again at the conclusion of the meeting. In effect, golf bookended the conversation.

Late in the meeting, after President Lee mentioned that he would be visiting Miami in December and suggested they play golf together then, President Trump reportedly told Chief of Staff Wiles, who was present, to try to arrange a suitable schedule. This went a step beyond the level of a casual exchange, with Trump specifically instructing a White House aide to review schedule options.

Melania Waits for Kim Hye-kyung...Group Photo Delayed with Her Seat Saved

There were also accounts of First Lady Melania Trump showing special consideration for Mrs. Kim Hye-kyung. On September 22nd, First Lady Kim attended the "Fostering the Future Together (FTFT) Alliance" spouses’ luncheon hosted by Melania Trump at the St. Regis Hotel in New York. FTFT is an alliance for spouses of world leaders established last year by Melania Trump to support children’s healthy development in the digital age through the use of education, innovation, and technology.

First Lady Kim was scheduled to arrive at the event venue at 12:50 p.m. Melania Trump reportedly arrived at 12:27 p.m., more than 20 minutes earlier. Even though the early arrival of attendees made it possible to take the group photo ahead of time, Melania Trump waited for Mrs. Kim’s arrival before proceeding with the photography.

In particular, the arrangement for the group photo left a spot immediately next to Melania Trump open for Mrs. Kim, and the remaining participants continued to mingle until Mrs. Kim arrived. Upon her arrival as expected, the other spouses of world leaders greeted her warmly, and Mrs. Kim was ushered to Melania Trump's side for the group photo, after which individual commemorative photos were taken.

During the event, Melania Trump described to Mrs. Kim that Korea was the first and a vital partner to participate in the FTFT initiative, according to the Blue House. When the White House released the event results, it highlighted the participation of several countries in FTFT, including South Korea, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Poland, Ukraine, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

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