Wi Sung-lac, the Office of National Security director, said on the 1st that there was "productive discussion" on the "Hanwha Ocean sanctions" situation during the summit between President Lee Jae-myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping. China recently imposed sanctions on five Hanwha Ocean affiliates in the United States in response to Washington's push to levy an "additional 100% tariff," and the Korean and Chinese leaders discussed the issue directly.
On this day, after the Korea-China summit ended, the director said at a briefing at the HICO in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, that "this issue is also entangled in the U.S.-China trade dispute, and as issues between the U.S. and China begin to ease, in that atmosphere we came to expect that Hanwha Ocean could also see productive progress." He also said that the "Thaad retaliation" imposed by China and the West Sea structure issue were "all addressed at the summit," adding, "There was a consensus to resolve issues through communication with each other, and we agreed to carry out working-level consultations."
However, no definite answer was given regarding the "construction of a nuclear-powered submarine," which President Lee proposed to President Trump and received approval for. The director said, "We exchanged many views on various pending issues between Korea and China," but added only, "It carries great significance in solidifying political trust between the two sides, and in that context, various security issues were addressed."
The director said, "Our position is not to introduce or confirm in detail the conversations between the leaders," adding, "There were various security issues discussed at the summit, but the intent is that we do not confirm the detailed aspects of that content publicly."