[News Today] President Lee asks Trump to “Open new peace path”

[LEAD]
President Lee Jae Myung held his first summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington early Tuesday.

Lee urged Trump to open a new path to peace on the Korean Peninsula and meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Trump responded that he was willing, and said a meeting could even take place this year.

[REPORT]
The leaders of South Korea and the United States began their talks as the summit was broadcast live.

The two leaders spent much of the time on discussing peace on the Korean Peninsula and relations with North Korea.

Praising U.S. President Donald Trump as the only one who can resolve the issues, President Lee Jae Myung asked him to play a more active role.

Lee Jae Myung / President
Thanks to you, ties with N. Korea were once stable. I hope you will open a new path to peace on the Korean peninsula.

Lee also expressed his wish for Trump to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Lee Jae Myung / President
I expect that you will meet Kim Jong-un and build a Trump World in N. Korea, letting me play golf there. I ask you to play the role of a historic peacemaker.

When Lee said he would be a pacemaker running alongside him, Trump responded with a smile.

Referring to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics that set the stage for inter-Korean reconciliation, Trump reiterated his willingness to talk with the North Korean leader.

Donald Trump / U.S. President
He'd like to meet with me. We can do big progress, I think, with North Korea, absolutely.

Trump said he would like to meet Kim again at an appropriate time, adding that it could be this year.

He also indicated willingness to attend the APEC Summit to be held in Gyeongju in October.

Donald Trump / U.S. President
We will go and do something for the president if he'd like me to do that, okay? So we will be going there fairly soon.

Asked if he might meet Kim Jong-un on the sidelines of APEC, Trump told Lee that he could arrange a meeting and asked if he wanted the talks.