Deputy Minister Wi Seong-lak noted that the absence of a joint communiqué during the recent summit between Korea and the United States was not unusual, stating, "A joint statement is not always present," and added, "The discussions between leaders were largely broadcasted live, and the remaining details were effectively explained to the citizens of both countries through media briefings."
In an interview with JTBC on the 28th, Deputy Minister Wi said, "Of course, we did discuss a joint statement at one point. There were areas with more consensus and areas with less, and there were several discussions about how detailed we should be in writing down the issues where progress was limited. Ultimately, we did not reach the point of producing a document, but there was a lot of common ground. Based on that common ground, if we have additional consultations, it should come together."
Meanwhile, it was revealed that the terms 'peacemaker' and 'facilitator,' which became topics during the Korea-U.S. summit, originated from President Lee Jae-myung's idea. Deputy Minister Wi commented, "Several opinions were gathered and synthesized in advance, but ultimately, since the President mentioned it, I think it can be seen as the President's idea."
Earlier, President Lee stated during a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump on the 25th (local time), "The only person who can actually resolve the issues on the Korean Peninsula is President Trump," and added, "If the President is the peacemaker, I will diligently support him as a facilitator."
Following this, regarding President Trump's use of provocative terms like 'purge' and 'revolution' on social media before the meeting, Deputy Minister Wi remarked, "Since President Trump himself said it was likely a misunderstanding, it shouldn't be a problem anymore." He further stated, "We can speculate on a few backgrounds regarding those expressions, but since it's not certain, it's difficult to comment. The matter itself did not have strong grounds," and noted, "The actual meeting was smoother than expected, and during the lunch, it was more informal and candid. President Lee's response was good from the beginning."