President Hosts South Korean Leader For Talks On Trade, Security
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WASHINGTON (CBSMiami) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-In and President Donald Trump held talks throughout the night after a dinner at the White House Thursday.
Topping the agenda was handling North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile program.
"We have many options with respect to North Korea," said President Trump.
President Moon told U.S. lawmakers this week that removing nuclear weapons from North Korea is more likely now because President Trump has become so focused on the issue.
"They have more nukes, they have more advanced cyber capabilities, they have more advanced ballistic missile capabilities, and Trump is saying, 'I'm going to do something about this,'" said Ian Bremmer, founder of The Eurasia Group.
While North Korea may be the most imminent threat, White House officials said the president is determined to get a new trade deal with South Korea.
"South Korea is a major trading partner with the United States and we want something that's going to be good for the American worker," Trump said.
The trade deficit with South Korea has more than doubled since 2012. The White House wants to make it easier to sell American-made cars there.
"Only 25,000 cars per big three manufacturers are allowed in, based on U.S. standards," said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross.
White House officials said they're also concerned about Chinese steel being dumped in the U.S. via South Korea.