President reaffirms responsibility not to disappoint Koreans at Trump summit result

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Lee Jae Myung said that “maximizing and safeguarding Korea’s national interests” would be the central focus of his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. He said such a stance is important amid a global order increasingly shaped by self-interest and protectionism. Lee made these comments during a meeting with reporters on the presidential plane while traveling from Japan to Washington for bilateral talks slated for Monday afternoon (local time). The president and the Korean delegation are set to finalize the tariff deal reached on July 31, which stated the U.S. would impose a 15 percent blanket tariff on Korean goods in exchange for Korea’s commitment of $350 billion in investments and $100 billion in U.S. energy purchases. “We are in a time when nations are pursuing their own interests more aggressively than before. That means we, too, must work several times harder to protect our national interests,” Lee said. “It is objectively true that Korea’s diplomatic position has become more difficult compared to the past, but my duty is to overcWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times