Trump open to Korea-built U.S. warships: Presidential official

A Korean presidential official said Trump appears willing to have U.S. military ships built in Korea, though key details still need working-level talks.

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Korean President Lee Jae Myung, right, talks with U.S. President Donald Trump during a dinner banquet, hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, on July 7, 2026, on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit.

U.S. President Donald Trump does not appear to rule out the possibility of having U.S. military ships he asked Korea to build constructed in the Northeast Asian country, a presidential official said Thursday.

The official made the remarks at a press conference in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where he was accompanying President Lee Jae Myung on a three-day state visit, in response to a reporter's question about Trump's recent request that Korea build military vessels.

Trump made the request to Lee during their encounter at the recent Group of 7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, last month. The issue came up again when the two leaders met again at a dinner of the NATO summit in Ankara earlier this week.

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"I have the impression that [Trump] does not rule out the possibility of having [them] built in Korea," the official said on condition of anonymity.

The official, however, said it remains unclear exactly how Trump wants the ships to be built, adding that working-level discussions would be needed to flesh out the details.


Yonhap

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