The Blue House said that on the 17th, U.S. President Donald Trump, in a phone call with President Lee Jae Myung, stated, “Based on close coordination between the leaders of South Korea and the United States, I will play and contribute the roles necessary for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.”

The Blue House said President Lee held a roughly 30-minute call with President Trump starting at 10 p.m. that day to hear the outcome of the U.S.-China summit, among other matters. The Blue House said, “President Trump explained the results of the U.S.-China summit, which addressed U.S.-China relations, the economic and trade agreement, and the situations on the Korean Peninsula and in the Middle East.”

President Lee assessed that President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held constructive consultations on Korean Peninsula issues at the U.S.-China summit. China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reported on the 14th that President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks and discussed major international and regional issues, including the Korean Peninsula.

The Blue House said President Lee conveyed to President Trump his congratulations on the successful state visit to China, the first in nine years. President Lee told President Trump that the stable management of U.S.-China relations would contribute to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world.

The Blue House said the two leaders also discussed the smooth implementation of the joint explanatory document (fact sheet) embodying the results of last November's South Korea-U.S. summit discussions. The two leaders said, “We recall that the joint explanatory document is a historic agreement that upgraded the South Korea-U.S. alliance to a new level, and we will work to faithfully implement the agreement.”

The joint explanatory document includes items such as South Korea's introduction of nuclear-powered submarines and an expansion of authority for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel. The call between the two leaders took place as security consultations were also being delayed amid the United States raising issues over economic and trade matters, including delays in the South Korean government's investments in the U.S. and the investigation into the Coupang personal data leak case.

President Lee also told President Trump, “I appreciate President Trump's proactive leadership in resolving the situation in the Middle East and hope that peace and stability will be restored there as soon as possible.” The Blue House did not say whether President Trump again emphasized his existing position asking the South Korean side to participate in contributions to navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

President Trump has repeatedly pressured allies, including South Korea, to take part in the Free Seas Initiative (MFC) or the Freedom Project operation, international coalitions they lead, in the Strait of Hormuz.

This was the first call between the two leaders since the U.S.-Iran war. The Blue House said the call between President Lee and President Trump was made at the request of the South Korean government. Kang Yu-jung, the Blue House spokesperson, said at a briefing, “There is a shared understanding that the two leaders will communicate.”