Acting President Han, Trump reaffirm strength of Korea-U.S. alliance in phone call

Home > National > Diplomacy

Acting President Han, Trump reaffirm strength of Korea-U.S. alliance in phone call

Published: 09 Apr. 2025, 11:13 Updated: 09 Apr. 2025, 12:55

LIM JEONG-WON
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

U.S. President Donald Trump hands out pens after signing executive orders during a ceremony at the White House in Washington on April 8. [UPI/YONHAP]

South Korean Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and U.S. President Donald Trump held their first phone call Tuesday since Trump's return to office and discussed a range of key issues, from defense and trade to North Korea's nuclear issues.

The 28-minute call marked the first direct communication between the two countries' leaders since Trump’s second inauguration and was the first summit-level contact in five months. The prime minister's office said the leaders reaffirmed the strength of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and committed to deepening cooperation across multiple sectors.

“The two sides reaffirmed their clear commitment to the South Korea-U.S. military alliance and exchanged views on the direction of its continued development,” Han said during the call, according to a release from his office.

Han also emphasized to Trump the will to cooperate with the United States on three major areas: shipbuilding, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and trade balance.

Han’s office reported that the two sides agreed to continue constructive ministerial consultations in the area of economic cooperation, including trade balance, so that they can find “mutually win-win” solutions.

On North Korea, Han said that that Seoul hopes to cooperate with Washington so that the will of both sides and that of the international community to denuclearize North Korea can be clearly recognized as stronger than Pyongyang’s will to possess nuclear weapons.

"The two sides agreed to continue close cooperation on North Korea policy," Han’s office said.

The two sides reaffirmed their clear commitment to the South Korea-U.S. military alliance, exchanged opinions on the direction of its continued development and agreed to continue to closely cooperate on North Korea policy in the future.

Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo talks on the phone with U.S. President Donald Trump at the Seoul Government Complex in Jongno District, central Seoul, on April 8. [YONHAP]

Han’s office reported that they also shared the view that South Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation is important for peace, stability and prosperity in the region, and agreed to continue to develop trilateral cooperation.

“I just had a great call with the Acting President of South Korea,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, a social media platform, after the call with Han. “We talked about their tremendous and unsustainable surplus, tariffs, shipbuilding, large scale purchase of U.S. LNG, their joint venture in an Alaska Pipeline, and payment for the big time Military Protection we provide to South Korea.”

“They began these military payments during my first term, billions of dollars, but sleepy Joe Biden, for reasons unknown, terminated the deal,” wrote Trump, adding, “that was a shocker to all.”

“We have the confines and probability of a great deal for both countries,” said Trump. “Their top team is on a plane heading to the U.S., and things are looking good. We are likewise dealing with many other countries, all of whom want to make a deal with the United States. Like with South Korea, we are bringing up other subjects that are not covered by trade and tariffs, and getting them negotiated also.”

Trump also called what he dubbed “one stop shopping” as a “beautiful and efficient process,” expressing his position that he wants to conduct comprehensive negotiations covering trade, industry and security with Seoul.

While the defense cost-sharing for the upkeep of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) was not directly touched upon during Han and Trump’s call, Trump’s related comments after the call are interpreted as suggesting that he wants to demand an increase in defense cost-sharing while also indicating that he wants to comprehensively negotiate this in addition to trade and tariffs, as well as other industry and security issues.

Seoul and Washington struck a defense cost-sharing deal in October last year, the Special Measures Agreement, in which a deal was struck that Seoul is to pay 1.52 trillion won ($1.03 billion) next year, up from 1.4 trillion won this year under the deal for the 2026-30 period.

Trump, then a presidential candidate, said at a campaign event that South Korea would be paying $10 billion a year for the upkeep of USFK if he had been in the White House, describing South Korea as a "money machine."

Observers have been analyzing that Trump is most likely to demand a raise in South Korea’s cost-sharing even further.

The call between Han and Trump on Tuesday was the first between the leaders of the two countries in the 78 days since the latter took office on Jan. 20.

It has been five months since South Korea and the United States communicated at the summit level. Previously, Trump had a 12-minute phone call with former President Yoon Suk Yeol on Nov. 7 last year right after his election and discussed cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]