South Korean President Lee Jae Myung stated on September 18, 2026, that U.S. President Donald Trump wants to engage in dialogue with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, emphasizing that Seoul will not send troops to participate in the Iran conflict. Mr. Trump has indicated he plans to meet with Kim later in the year and highlighted that North Korea possesses around 57 powerful nuclear weapons, though South Korea estimates the number between 80-120. President Lee expressed hope for facilitating a dialogue but acknowledged challenges in achieving such a meeting.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-18,
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Story summary
On September 18, 2026, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung stated that U.S. President Donald Trump wants dialogue with Pyongyang, indicating a desire to engage North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Despite this, Seoul confirmed it would not deploy troops in the Iran war. Mr. Trump had previously mentioned plans for a meeting later that year and emphasized the importance of "getting along" with Mr. Kim, noting that Pyongyang now has 57 nuclear weapons, while South Korea estimates the number to be between 80-120. North Korea, which has secured backing from Russia, did not respond clearly to Trump's overtures for dialogue. President Lee stressed that Seoul is pursuing "preliminary coordination efforts" to facilitate talks between Washington and Pyongyang.
Written for “North Korea Talks” on 2026-09-18,
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Leaning score +0.35 for article 17791 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-09-18
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Friday (September 18, 2026) that U.S. President Donald Trump clearly wants dialogue with Pyongyang and confirmed Seoul will not be deploying troops to intervene militarily in the Iran war.
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Seoul → say → war
Mr. Trump, seeking to revive the bond he claims to have forged with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in his first term, said last month that he plans to meet Mr. Kim later this year.
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he → seek → Kim
Also Read | South Korea President stresses U.S. alliance as many baffled by Trump order to cut exercises
The U.S. president also said it was important to "get along" with Mr. Kim, adding that Pyongyang now had 57 "very powerful" nuclear weapons.
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Pyongyang → read → weapons
Seoul says there are around 80-120.
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Seoul → say → ?
North Korea, which has secured critical backing from Russia in recent years, did not clearly respond to Mr. Trump's overtures.
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which → secure → overtures
Mr. Lee said Friday it was "clear" that "Trump wants dialogue, and I am also urging President Trump to engage in dialogue."
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I → say → dialogue
South Korea — which Pyongyang has repeatedly labelled as its enemy — was continuing "preliminary coordination efforts" to facilitate dialogue between North Korea and the United States, Mr. Lee told reporters at the presidential Blue House.
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He added that such a meeting "remains difficult, ... but is not impossible."
"I cannot say for certain how likely it is, but it is also clear that we must make every possible effort to turn that possibility into reality," he said.
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he → add → reality
Mr. Lee's comment came hours after the North Korean leader's powerful sister accused the United States of escalating regional tensions through frequent military drills and warned of a "more offensive" response from Pyongyang.
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sister → come → Pyongyang
A day before, Kim Yo Jong said only 'idiots' think North Korea will give up its nukes.
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Korea → say → nukes
Korea and the United States last month held a shorter edition of their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises, following an order from Mr. Trump to scale them back.
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Korea → hold → them
The South Korean President also said that Seoul will not deploy troops to intervene militarily in the Iran war.
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Seoul → say → war
We will not deploy troops or military assets in that manner," said Mr. Lee.
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Lee → deploy → manner
Mr. Lee's answer follows reports that Seoul was weighing a possible deployment to the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key flashpoint in the war launched by Israel and the United States against Iran.
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Seoul → follow → Iran
He added that South Korea will "carry out the minimum necessary activities," to protect their own merchant ships and oil shipping routes.
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Korea → add → ships
Mr. Lee reiterated three times that South Korea would not deploy troops in a way that could lead to military intervention.
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that → reiterate → intervention
"We have upheld the principle of non-involvement and non-intervention in the war until now," he said.
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he → uphold → war
"And we will continue to uphold it going forward."
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we → continue → it
Mr. Trump complained in an interview late last month that Washington had received "very little help" from other countries, singling out South Korea — its key security ally in Asia — as an example.
"We help them, but when it came to helping us, I didn't put on a heavy sell; But I just said, 'Would you like to participate?'"
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you → complain → sell
Mr. Trump said in an interview with Fox News.
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Trump → say → News
"And they all said, 'No, thank you.'
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they → say → you
And I said, 'I'm going to remember that to myself,'" he added.
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he → say → myself
The United States stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea to bolster the country's defences, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
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that → station → armistice
However, Mr. Trump's repeated criticism of time-honoured alliances has cast doubt on U.S. commitments to security in East Asia.
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criticism → repeat → Asia
The Aporia
