Requested if he would scale back US troop numbers there to offer the US extra flexibility within the area, Trump advised reporters, “I do not wish to say that now,” however that perhaps South Korea ought to give the US possession of the “land the place we have now the massive fort,” a attainable reference to Camp Humphreys, a US Military garrison in South Korea.
Earlier than the assembly, Lee advised reporters it could be troublesome for Seoul to just accept US calls for to undertake “flexibility” over US navy stationed in South Korea, a reference to the difficulty of utilizing US navy for a wider vary of operations, together with China-related threats.
Lee needs to chart a balanced path of cooperation with the US, whereas avoiding antagonising South Korea’s high commerce companion, Beijing.
As he headed to the US, Lee despatched a particular delegation to Beijing, which delivered a message calling for normalised ties with China.
Lee additionally advised reporters some officers in Washington had been calling for modifications to the commerce deal. The South Korean president will spotlight a few of South Korea’s anticipated US investments when he visits a shipyard in Philadelphia owned by the nation’s Hanwha Group on Tuesday.
Trump is predicted to attend the Asia-Pacific Financial Cooperation summit in South Korea on Oct 30 – Nov 1.
