Anchor: Acting President Han Duck-soo and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke over the phone Tuesday night for the first time since Trump’s inauguration. The two leaders discussed a wide range of issues, including the trade balance, tariffs, shipbuilding, and a liquefied natural gas project in Alaska. Summing up the 28-minute call in a social media post, Trump also mentioned the cost of stationing U.S. troops in South Korea, suggesting he might seek to renegotiate the current cost-sharing deal in his country’s favor.
Eileen Cahill has more. 

Report: For the first time since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, direct communication has taken place between the top leaders of South Korea and the United States.  

The South Korean prime minister’s office said acting President Han Duck-soo held phone talks with Trump on Tuesday night, touching on shipbuilding, liquefied natural gas and the trade balance.

During the 28-minute discussion, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the South Korea-U.S. military alliance, pledging to continue close coordination on North Korea and advance trilateral cooperation with Japan. 

After the talks, Trump said on his Truth Social platform that he and Han also discussed payment for what Trump called the “big time Military Protection” the U.S. provides for South Korea, raising speculation that he might seek to renegotiate the cost-sharing arrangement between the two countries for the U.S. troops stationed here.

He lauded the process, dubbing it “one-stop shopping.”

Meanwhile, there are indications that some of the tariffs may be negotiable.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a news briefing Tuesday that the U.S. president has instructed his trade team to seek tailor-made deals with each country, adding that nearly 70 countries have approached the U.S. seeking negotiations.

Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council at the White House, has been quoted as saying Trump is prioritizing talks with two of America’s allies, South Korea and Japan. 

And in a CNN interview published Tuesday, acting President Han denied that a recent trilateral meeting of trade ministers from South Korea, China and Japan was the start of a coalition to fight the new U.S. tariffs.

Han told CNN that South Korea will not align with China and Japan but will instead negotiate with the United States.
Eileen Cahill, KBS World Radio News.