President Lee Jae-myung said on the 30th that "President Trump strongly supported Korea's plan to build nuclear-powered submarines," adding, "Going forward, by strengthening self-reliant defense capabilities, we will be able to develop the alliance in a more mutually beneficial way."
Lee posted on Facebook that day to share his thoughts on the South Korea-U.S. summit held the previous day. Lee said, "In the ancient capital of Gyeongju, we welcomed President Donald Trump as a state guest and opened a new chapter of cooperation between South Korea and the United States," adding, "We shared a deep consensus that we must respond to the rapidly changing security and economic environment and deepen South Korea-U.S. relations into a future-oriented comprehensive strategic alliance, and we agreed to further strengthen the modernization of the South Korea-U.S. alliance."
He went on, "With the tariff negotiation agreement, cooperation in future industry fields such as advanced technology development, large-scale investment, and the creation of jobs for outstanding talent is expected to expand further," adding, "We will also make substantive progress in uranium enrichment and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, and continue joint efforts to strengthen energy security."
Lee said, "President Trump's proposal to hold a North Korea-U.S. summit is a hopeful signal that will set off a wave of peace on the Korean Peninsula," adding, "As a 'peacemaker' and 'pace-setter,' we will steadily carry forward diplomatic efforts for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula."
Presidential office Spokesperson Kim Nam-joon, meeting with reporters that day, was asked whether nuclear-powered submarines were also an agenda item at the first South Korea-U.S. summit, and said, "It is true that this subject was discussed at the last summit," adding, "As the president said, there was a lack of physical time to fully explain this part, not that there were disagreements." Kim added, "So it was explained again, and the fact that it was mentioned in public remarks should be taken as the president's intention to emphasize the importance of this agenda."
Regarding the tone of the talks the previous day, Kim said, "During the dinner, President Trump reportedly told President Lee so often to 'say anything you need at any time' that it showed how good the atmosphere was," adding, "In the presence of other leaders, he was also said to have used the expression that [Lee and Korea were] the 'leader and country that negotiated tariffs the best.'"
Kim also said, "After the South Korea-U.S. summit, President Lee said, 'We need to strengthen national power,'" adding, "He also highly praised President Trump as a 'great negotiator.'"
Kim declined to elaborate on follow-up measures or the possibility of additional talks regarding the South Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations. He said, "Specific matters will be discussed continuously in the course of future consultations, and we will brief you later."