SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean President Moon Jae-in told U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday that he would willingly accept the American leader’s invitation to join this year’s Group of Seven summit, South Korea’s presidential Blue House said in a statement.
Trump and Moon spoke by phone at the U.S. president’s request, the Blue House said.
Trump said on Saturday that he was postponing until September the G7 summit that had been scheduled for late June, and that he wanted to invite Australia, Russia, South Korea and India to the meeting.
Trump said the G7 was an old system that did not reflect the current international situation, according to the Blue House.
Moon told Trump he would welcome the inclusion of other countries and said it would be a sign of progress in the face of the global coronavirus crisis.
“If at an appropriate time, a (leaders’) meeting can take place successfully, it will be a signal that the world is returning to normal conditions and economy,” Moon said, according to the statement.
(Reporting by Josh Smith; Editing by Catherine Evans and Alex Richardson)
