Pres. Lee accepts invitation to join G7 Summit as guest country, holds 1st phone call with Trump

South Korea has accepted an official invitation from G7 host nation Canada, making this Lee's debut on the global diplomatic stage—just 11 days after taking office.

He held his first phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump three days after his inauguration.

Our correspondent Oh Soo-young starts us off.

President Lee Jae-myung is expected to meet his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada this month.

The Presidential Office on Saturday confirmed Seoul accepted the host nation's invitation, marking Lee's first multilateral engagement just 11 days after taking office.

This came after Lee's first phone call with the American president on Friday evening Seoul time, three days after Lee's inauguration.

Lee's office says the 20-minute call was friendly, focused on reaffirming the Seoul-Washington alliance as the two leaders bonded over golf and their experiences of attempted assassination.

While they swerved sensitive topics, including U.S. Forces Korea costs and North Korea, the two leaders agreed to pursue a swift resolution on tariffs.

This comes as trade negotiations are entering a critical phase.

Under what's known as the "July Package," South Korea and the U.S. are aiming to finalize tariff talks, before Washington ends its grace period for its country-specific duties on the 8th of July, which are on top of its other tariffs on key industrial imports.

According to Korea Customs Service data, May exports fell 1.3 percent year-on-year, with auto exports to the U.S. down 32 percent and steel, over 20 percent.

Washington last week demanded "best offers" from key trade partners and raised the threat of 50 percent steel tariffs.

Experts say President Lee, who has emphasized pragmatic, national interest-based diplomacy, may seek an extension beyond the July deadline, given that his administration took office only last week, after months of political turmoil that made it impossible to draw up coordinated measures.

That's also because the scope of talks may widen to non-tariff issues, from the cost of keeping U.S. troops in South Korea to beef imports, GMO regulations and Google's mapping data.

A short bilateral at the G7 won't settle the terms, but it may help set the tone for a more concrete summit.

Trump extended an invitation for Lee to visit the U.S., which Seoul intends to make (quote) 'proper preparation' for, according to the top office.

Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.