U.S. President Donald Trump hosted South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the White House on 25 August for the pair’s first face-to-face summit. The leaders said their talks made “meaningful progress” on modernising the security alliance, while Trump confirmed that the existing 15 percent tariff on South Korean goods will remain in force. Lee’s aides said the discussion also covered nuclear energy cooperation, shipbuilding and the still-unresolved issue of sharing the cost of basing U.S. troops on the peninsula. Trump told reporters he hopes to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “at some point,” preferably this year. According to Lee’s office, the South Korean president proposed arranging such a meeting in the autumn should Trump travel to South Korea for a regional forum, an idea the U.S. leader welcomed. Trump separately indicated he is likely to visit China “this year or shortly thereafter,” saying he expects relations with Beijing to improve. Economic diplomacy featured prominently at the summit. South Korean officials outlined a non-binding memorandum of understanding that could channel up to $350 billion in South Korean investment into U.S. industries, including efforts to revive American shipbuilding. Trade adviser Wi Sung-lac said detailed negotiations are still under way, but both capitals framed the prospective package as evidence of a deepening commercial partnership alongside their long-standing defence ties.