Mr Trump surprisingly cornered Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House earlier this year. But Mr Lee said his encounter with the president went well “beyond my expectations” and credited this to having read Mr Trump’s book, The Art of the Deal.

By Ju-min Park, Heejin Kim and Joyce Lee SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea's Lee Jae Myung narrowly avoided what he called a "Zelenskiy moment" after U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed him to Washington with right-wing conspiracy theories but then pulled off a high-stakes summit without unwanted drama.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung underscored his priorities for strengthening the U.S.-ROK alliance during a forum Monday after meeting Donald Trump.