Trump ‘clearly’ wants dialogue with Pyongyang: South Korean President
The Hindu – International
You are logged in
Loading…
You don’t have any Active Subscription.
Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one.
Your active subscription(s)
Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials,
Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription
Products you’ve access to
Additional Subscription Benefits
Account Settings
Need help with your subscription?
Weather News September 18, 2026 e-Paper
The View From India
Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective.
First Day First Show
News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming.
Today's Cache
Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day.
Science For All
The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in!
Data Point
Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers
THEdge
At the cutting edge of education and careers
Health Matters
Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there
Gender Agenda
Stories from beyond the binary.
The Hindu On Books
Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features.
Weather News September 18, 2026 e-Paper
Updated – September 18, 2026 09:34 am IST – Seoul
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung attends a press conference at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Friday (September 18, 2026) that U.S. President Donald Trump clearly wants dialogue with Pyongyang and confirmed Seoul will not be deploying troops to intervene militarily in the Iran war.
Mr. Trump, seeking to revive the bond he claims to have forged with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in his first term, said last month that he plans to meet Mr. Kim later this year.
Also Read | South Korea President stresses U.S. alliance as many baffled by Trump order to cut exercises
The U.S. president also said it was important to "get along" with Mr. Kim, adding that Pyongyang now had 57 "very powerful" nuclear weapons. Seoul says there are around 80-120.
North Korea, which has secured critical backing from Russia in recent years, did not clearly respond to Mr. Trump's overtures.
Mr. Lee said Friday it was "clear" that "Trump wants dialogue, and I am also urging President Trump to engage in dialogue."
South Korea — which Pyongyang has repeatedly labelled as its enemy — was continuing "preliminary coordination efforts" to facilitate dialogue between North Korea and the United States, Mr. Lee told reporters at the presidential Blue House.
He added that such a meeting "remains difficult, … but is not impossible."
"I cannot say for certain how likely it is, but it is also clear that we must make every possible effort to turn that possibility into reality," he said.
Mr. Lee's comment came hours after the North Korean leader's powerful sister accused the United States of escalating regional tensions through frequent military drills and warned of a "more offensive" response from Pyongyang.
A day before, Kim Yo Jong said only 'idiots' think North Korea will give up its nukes.
Korea and the United States last month held a shorter edition of their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises, following an order from Mr. Trump to scale them back.
The South Korean President also said that Seoul will not deploy troops to intervene militarily in the Iran war.
"There will be no involvement or intervention in the war. We will not deploy troops or military assets in that manner," said Mr. Lee.
Mr. Lee's answer follows reports that Seoul was weighing a possible deployment to the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key flashpoint in the war launched by Israel and the United States against Iran.
He added that South Korea will "carry out the minimum necessary activities," to protect their own merchant ships and oil shipping routes.
Mr. Lee reiterated three times that South Korea would not deploy troops in a way that could lead to military intervention.
"We have upheld the principle of non-involvement and non-intervention in the war until now," he said.
"And we will continue to uphold it going forward."
Mr. Trump complained in an interview late last month that Washington had received "very little help" from other countries, singling out South Korea — its key security ally in Asia — as an example.
"We help them, but when it came to helping us, I didn't put on a heavy sell; But I just said, 'Would you like to participate?'" Mr. Trump said in an interview with Fox News.
"And they all said, 'No, thank you.' And I said, 'I'm going to remember that to myself,'" he added.
The United States stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea to bolster the country's defences, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
However, Mr. Trump's repeated criticism of time-honoured alliances has cast doubt on U.S. commitments to security in East Asia.
Published – September 18, 2026 09:28 am IST
Copyright© 2026, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
BACK TO TOP
Terms & conditions | Institutional Subscriber
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.
Fonte: The Hindu – International
