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Moon Jae-in
AsiaDiplomacy

Moon in US: THAAD, China, Kim Jong-un on agenda as South Korean president meets Trump

Moon Jae-in to meet with Trump during his first foreign outing since being sworn in last month after a landslide election win

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South Korean President Moon Jae-in (C) walks on Pennsylvania Avenue to greet his supporters in Washington. Photo: Reuters
Agence France-Presse

South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in has arrived in Washington on his first overseas trip since taking office, for planned talks with his US counterpart Donald Trump.

Moon, who backs engagement with nuclear-armed North Korea, was to meet Thursday (Friday morning Hong Kong time) with Trump during his first foreign outing since being sworn in last month after a landslide election win.

The talks between Moon and Trump, which begin with dinner and then formal talks, come amid intense wrangling over North Korea.

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Trump’s National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster said that the US is preparing “all options” for North Korea, “because the president has made clear to us that he will not accept a nuclear power in North Korea and a threat that can target the United States.”

Watch: South Korean president lays wreath at war memorial

Late Wednesday, Moon offered an emotional tribute to US Marines who fought in a fierce battle in the Korean war that helped in the mass evacuation of Korean civilians, including his own parents. Moon said that without those American sacrifices, he would not be here today.

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