[Anchor]

President Lee Jae-myung, who is currently visiting New York, held a bilateral summit with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss pending South Korea-U.S. security issues, including the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON), as well as North Korean affairs. Earlier, in his speech before the UN General Assembly, he underscored cooperation among South and North Korea, the United States, and China for peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Reporting from New York, Kang Min-u.

[Reporter]

President Lee Jae-myung, visiting New York on the occasion of the UN General Assembly, held his third summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.

The surprise meeting, effectively finalized on the very day, lasted 30 minutes in a separate space during a reception hosted by President Trump and the First Lady.

The two leaders exchanged light conversation on topics such as golf and discussed various pending issues, including security and investment in the United States.

[Wi Sung-lac / National Security Adviser : We reaffirmed our shared commitment to further deepen South Korea-U.S. cooperation in areas such as nuclear submarine fuel, enrichment and reprocessing, shipbuilding cooperation, and the transfer of wartime operational control....]

A senior Cheong Wa Dae official highlighted the significance of the meeting, noting that this was the first time the transfer of wartime operational control was discussed with President Trump.

In addition, amid a situation with virtually no inter-Korean contacts, President Lee expressed hopes for resolving issues through North Korea-U.S. dialogue, to which President Trump reportedly responded by noting that he maintains good relations with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Earlier, in his keynote address at the UN General Assembly, President Lee also stated that he would seek cooperation based on mutual respect for each other's systems and recognition of differences between the two Koreas.

[President Lee Jae-myung : We will also respect the North on the international stage and cooperate where cooperation is possible.]

This is interpreted as an intention to draw North Korea to the dialogue table by leveraging health, disaster, and climate crisis issues within the international community.

President Lee also expressed his intention to pursue multilateral dialogue among relevant countries, including South and North Korea, the United States, and China, to establish a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

Regarding the Strait of Hormuz issue, he also proposed a "Coalition of Constructive Contributor Nations" to resolve energy supply chain issues arising from potential blockades of the strait.

[President Lee Jae-myung : Countries with the capacity and will to supply global public goods should join hands first and expand the space for cooperation.]

As President Lee Jae-myung delivered a series of messages through the South Korea-U.S. summit and his UN General Assembly address to break the ice for dialogue with North Korea, attention is focused on whether North Korea will respond.

(Video by Jung Sang-bo | Video Editing by Jeon Min-gyu | Design by Kang Yoon-jung)