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| ▲ President Yoon Suk Yeol holds phone talks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at the presidential office in Seoul on Nov. 7, 2024, in this photo provided by Yoon's office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) (US election) foreign ministry-Trump
(LEAD) (US election) S. Korea eyes Yoon, Trump's meeting before Trump's inauguration: official
(ATTN: UPDATES with possible meeting this month)
By Kim Seung-yeon
SEOUL, Nov. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is seeking to arrange an early meeting between President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, possibly before Trump assumes office in January, a foreign ministry official said Thursday.
The presidential office earlier said that Yoon spoke by phone with Trump to congratulate him on his reelection and they agreed to hold an in-person meeting at an early date.
"As the president said they agreed to meet at an early date, we plan to coordinate the matter (with Washington)," a foreign ministry official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
The official suggested that Seoul might explore the possibility of a meeting taking place even before Trump is officially sworn in early next year.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had a rare surprise meeting with Trump when Trump won his first presidency in 2016.
"Given that Trump had met with many international leaders, it seems fair to say that he would be open to such an early meeting with Yoon as well. We take this as a positive sign and will proceed with preparations accordingly," the official said.
One option would be for Yoon to visit the U.S. immediately before or after his trip to South America later this month to attend summits involving the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and the Group of 20 (G20), according to sources.
The government is strongly considering the option, among others, as the APEC summit is scheduled for Nov. 15-16 in Peru and the G20 summit slated for Nov. 18-19 in Brazil, they said.
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