Lee Asks Trump to Help Revive North Korea Talks at UN

September 28, 2026 at 07:36 PM2 min

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South Korean President Lee Jae-myung asked U.S. President Donald Trump to help restart U.S.-North Korea talks in an unannounced meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on September 22, according to the Blue House. Trump reaffirmed his willingness to engage with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The meeting came as North Korea denied any direct contact and denounced a joint statement by South Korea, the U.S., and Japan.

Key Facts

Lee Jae-myung and Donald Trump met for 30 minutes on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on September 22.
Trump has signaled he hopes to meet Kim Jong Un before the end of the year, possibly during the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, in November.
Kim Yo Jong said North Korea was not impressed by the reduction in scale of the South Korea-U.S. joint exercises, calling it "unworthy of comment."
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui declared on September 24 that her country's will to keep nuclear weapons through all ages was "irreversible."

The Unannounced Meeting

The Blue House said the meeting was arranged at the last minute and lasted 30 minutes. Lee asked Trump to create a breakthrough amid almost no direct contact between the two Koreas. The two leaders agreed to communicate closely as "peacemakers and pacemakers," according to the Blue House. Trump has been courting Kim since August, when he scaled back a major joint military exercise with South Korea. A day later, Trump said Kim had responded to his request for dialogue, calling the exchange very positive without offering details.

North Korean Response

North Korea denied any direct contact in a statement by Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of Kim Jong Un. She described the relationship between the two leaders as "excellent" while insisting that Washington had not changed its hostile policy. North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui denounced the joint statement on September 24, declaring in a message carried by state media that the will of her country to keep nuclear weapons through all ages was "irreversible."

Lee's UN Address

Lee had made the case for reopening dialogue earlier on September 22 in an address to the General Assembly. In the speech, Lee said he hoped to see the long-suspended dialogue between North Korea and the United States resume without delay. He also added that his administration would lay the groundwork for talks among the parties aimed at formally ending the Korean War. On North Korean weapons, Lee outlined a sequence that would begin with a halt to further advances in North Korean nuclear and missile capabilities. Lee credited Trump with creating a hard-won opportunity for change and pledged to act as a "pacemaker" for peace.