South Korean leader wants Trump to lead efforts to achieve peace with North Korea

Photo with G7 summit participants in France. (Twitter/@G7)

South Korean leader Lee Jae Myung wants US President Donald Trump to lead efforts to peacefully resolve the North Korean issue, in a brief conversation on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France, the Presidential Office said.

Presidential spokesman Kang Yu-jung said President Trump asked Lee about the latest developments in inter-Korean relations in a written briefing on Tuesday.

President Lee replied, "I hope President Trump will lead efforts to peacefully resolve the North Korean issue, just as he has helped end the Middle East conflict."

Kang referred to the US-Iran interim peace deal announced Sunday, ending more than three months of war in the region.

"President Trump responded by expressing his willingness to work toward resolving the North Korean issue," Kang explained, launching The Korea Times (17/6).

Photo with the G7 summit in France. (Twitter/@ZelenskyyUa)

The exchange took place during a group photo session of the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, where South Korea was invited as a guest country to the annual meeting of the Group of 7 (G7).

As the leaders gathered for a photo, President Lee approached President Trump and the two spoke for about 30 seconds. The interaction was unscheduled and not a formal bilateral meeting, while Cheong Wa Dae said Seoul and Washington continued to coordinate dates for an official summit.

President Trump has previously sparked speculation about a possible revival of diplomacy with Pyongyang, after posting a photo of himself walking with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after their first summit in Singapore in June 2018, on social media last Saturday.

President Trump with President Lee at a dinner at the French G7 Summit. (Twitter/@Jaemyung_Lee)

The post contained no details, but diplomatic observers interpreted it as a signal that President Trump might consider reopening talks with Leader Kim as the Middle East conflict entered a post-war phase.

President Trump has repeatedly shown a friendly attitude towards Leader Kim since returning to office for a second term in January 2025, after his first term from 2017 to 2021.

A unification ministry official said Wednesday Seoul would monitor developments closely without making any assumptions, noting that various scenarios have been raised regarding the prospects for renewed U.S.-North Korea dialogue.

The Presidential Advisory Council for Peaceful Unification, a presidential advisory body, projected last week that talks between Washington and Pyongyang could resume around the time of the US midterm elections in early November.

Then on Tuesday, President Lee sat next to President Trump at the summit dinner and the two leaders engaged in in-depth conversations on mutually beneficial matters, strengthening the friendship, according to the presidential office.

Before dinner, cameras caught President Lee introducing First Lady Kim Hea Kyung to President Trump in English as "my wife."

President Trump shook hands with the First Lady and seemed pleased to meet her, while Leader Kim replied in English, saying, "Nice to meet you."

It is known that President Lee attended the G7 Summit as a guest for the second consecutive year, after last year's meeting in Canada.