TRUMP-KIM SUMMIT
Lee said it was possible that a meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could take place in coming months, but many factors needed to align for that to happen.
„But what’s clear is that President Trump wants talks, and I want him to as well, and we’re continuing coordination to make dialogue between the North and the US possible,“ he said.
North Korean state media has so far remained largely silent on the repeated calls from Trump for such a meeting. Trump has been pushing aides for a meeting with Kim as soon as the autumn, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
RULES OUT SECOND TERM
Lee, whose approval ratings have fallen sharply in recent months, said he was renewing his commitment to improving the life of Koreans and said his term would end in 2030 as permitted by the Constitution.
There have been questions about whether Lee and his Democratic Party, which holds a parliamentary majority, might try to amend the Constitution to enable him to seek reelection.
„Let me say this firmly. I have no intention of seeking a consecutive term whatsoever,“ he told the news conference.
The presidency is currently restricted to a single five-year term under the Constitution and a sitting president is specifically excluded from any amendment affecting the presidential term.
Lee also said he would push ahead with measures to ease the concentration of the current capital, Seoul, by designating Seoul as the economic capital and Sejong as the political capital.
Many government agencies are already located in Sejong, in South Korea’s central region and about 120km south of Seoul.