President Lee Jae-myung met with a delegation of U.S. House Representatives visiting Korea on Saturday and sought their advice on the trajectory of the Middle East conflict.
"The entire world is in a very complex and difficult situation, and I am grateful that you are showing interest in Korea," Lee said at the meeting held at the Blue House. He added, "Like every country in the world, we are also experiencing many difficulties due to the recent war in the Middle East. If you have any views on the progress of the situation or any advice for the Republic of Korea, I would like to hear them."
Lee also emphasized the importance of a stable South Korea-U.S. alliance amid the turbulent international landscape. "The Korea-U.S. relationship has been developing far more broadly and deeply than before through two summits with President Donald Trump last year," he said. "We have not forgotten the significant contributions the United States has made to the development of the Republic of Korea, including the Korean War, and going forward, we will take interest in and do our best to support the revival of American manufacturing and the expanded role of the United States."
"We have a very strong interest in the stable development of the Korea-U.S. relationship," Lee said. "We expect the U.S. government, including President Trump, to play a significant role in peace and stability in Northeast Asia going forward."
Six members of the U.S. House attended the meeting: Ami Bera (D-California), Ryan Zinke (R-Montana), Mark Pocan (D-Wisconsin), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pennsylvania), Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii) and Patrick Harrigan (R-North Carolina).