2 weeks ago
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(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump criticized South Korea connected Monday, hours earlier helium was acceptable to welcome South Korean President Lee Jae Myung to the White House for talks connected commercialized and defense.
In the Oval Office, Trump congratulated Lee connected his victory, portion Lee praised Trump for his efforts to bring an extremity to wars.
Lee said helium hopes Trump volition assistance bring bid to the Korean penninsula and looks guardant to Trump's gathering with North Korean person Kim Jung Un, suggesting a aboriginal wherever determination was a Trump operation and play people successful the country.
The president besides floated the thought of the U.S. owning the onshore successful South Korea wherever a U.S. basal is located, alternatively than continuing to lease it.
Trump described his narration with North Korea's ultimate person arsenic friendly, a departure from American leaders' criticisms of the closed, authoritarian nation.
"We had a precise bully relationship. We inactive do," Trump said. "We deliberation we tin bash thing successful respect to North and South Korea."
The president talked up his relationship with Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling some "a bully thing," though some countries person agelong been adversaries of the U.S.
He besides said that if helium had not been elected successful 2016, determination would person been atomic warfare betwixt North and South Korea.
The gathering marked the archetypal in-person gathering for Trump and Lee, and a large docket point is apt to beryllium moving done the details of a commercialized woody agreed upon earlier this summer.
Trump threatened a 25% tariff connected South Korea, a state that has a commercialized surplus with the United States. When it comes to tariffs, Trump has projected particularly dense duties connected specified countries.
The woody reached successful July acceptable tariffs connected South Korean imports astatine 15% successful speech for concern successful the U.S. economy, peculiarly successful the areas of semiconductors, batteries and shipbuilding.
Defense volition apt besides beryllium discussed, arsenic Trump has pressed for much flexibility with information agreements and repeatedly suggested allies should wage much for U.S. troops.
Lee is expected to propulsion backmost connected the thought of a much flexible statement since U.S. troops successful South Korea service arsenic a deterrent to North Korean aggression.
But the statement besides serves U.S. interests, placing troops successful the Indo-Pacific portion and successful adjacent proximity to China, expanding readiness should a struggle interruption retired successful the region.
On societal media Monday morning, Trump criticized the state present nether Lee's leadership.
"WHAT IS GOING ON IN SOUTH KOREA? Seems similar a Purge oregon Revolution. We can’t person that and bash concern there. I americium seeing the caller President contiguous astatine the White House. Thank you for your attraction to this matter!!!" the president posted.
It's not wholly wide to what precisely Trump was referring, but it appeared to beryllium a notation to the probe into erstwhile South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who attempted to institute martial instrumentality successful the state successful December.
The connection came aft Trump deployed National Guard troops successful Washington, D.C., successful an effort to ace down connected transgression successful the nation's capital. He has said helium plans to deploy troops to different Democratic cities arsenic well, starting with Chicago, implicit the objections of section leaders.
Later, Trump clarified that helium had heard of raids connected churches but didn't cognize if they were true. The arguable Unification Church has been nether probe for a governmental influecne ungraded which includes alleged ties to Yoon.
It's not wide what the remarks could mean for the antecedently agreed-upon commercialized woody oregon the president's narration with Lee, who succeeded the blimpish Yoon.
