Trump open to South Korea building US warships, Blue House suggests

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and former US President Donald Trump held follow-up discussions regarding the potential construction of naval vessels in South Korea. A senior official from the Blue House (the South Korean presidential office) stated on Tuesday that Trump appeared open to the idea of South Korea building the entire warship, though further details require clarification. "I get the impression that President Trump is not ruling out building the ships in Korea, but we need to look into that a bit more," the official said.

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I get the impression that President Trump is not ruling out building the ships in Korea, but we need to look into that a bit more.

This conversation took place during a briefing in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where President Lee was on a state visit. The official noted that Trump's interest in shipbuilding is not new, having been raised previously during the G7 summit. "It was a brief conversation during a dinner reception, so the entire content isn't perfectly aligned; it's a bit fragmented. We need to flesh it out through working-level discussions and understand the aspects we are not aware of," the official added.

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It was a brief conversation during a dinner reception, so the entire content isn't perfectly aligned; it's a bit fragmented. We need to flesh it out through working-level discussions and understand the aspects we are not aware of.

President Lee met with Trump on July 8 (local time) at a reception and official welcome dinner hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara, Turkey, during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit. This meeting occurred three weeks after their encounter at the G7 summit in Evian, France. At that earlier meeting, President Lee revealed that Trump had asked if South Korea could "quickly build 10 US warships," a question that prompted the current follow-up discussions.

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quickly build 10 US warships

Separately, the Blue House addressed concerns raised by the US State Department regarding recent amendments to South Korea's Information and Communications Network Act. The official stated that appropriate communication had occurred between South Korea and the US, and that South Korea needs to provide further explanations. "We are not engaging in discriminatory practices; we are taking reasonable measures to protect consumer interests, and we intend to secure benefits through communication," the official explained. The revised law, effective since July 7, holds media outlets and YouTubers liable for up to five times the amount of damages caused by distributing illegal or false information. The US State Department expressed "serious concerns" that this could lead to excessive content regulation and infringe upon freedom of expression.

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We are not engaging in discriminatory practices; we are taking reasonable measures to protect consumer interests, and we intend to secure benefits through communication.