Seoul praises US stance in Trump-Xi summit

By Alex Jensen

SEOUL

Acting South Korean President Hwang Kyo-ahn held a 20-minute phone conversation with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump Saturday, presenting a united stance against North Korea's growing threat.

It was a chance for the two leaders to address mutual concerns right after Trump's first summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

While Xi's visit to Florida Thursday and Friday did not produce a joint statement, Washington and Beijing have agreed to work on containing North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

Hwang also said the summit "seemed to be an occasion to reaffirm the strong alliance between Seoul and Washington," according to comments released by the acting president's office.

He highlighted the "considerable time" Trump and Xi spent discussing Korean Peninsula issues, including China's opposition to the deployment of the American THAAD anti-missile system in the South.

Seoul appears to have carried the brunt of Beijing's anti-THAAD retaliation in recent months through unofficial economic measures, and Trump is understood to have relayed Washington's support for South Korea -- where around 30,000 American troops are stationed.

According to local news agency Yonhap, the South Korean government sees the phone meeting as evidence of the strength of the Seoul-Washington alliance despite the power vacuum created by last month's ousting of scandal-hit President Park Geun-hye.

Questions were raised when Trump spoke with Japan's Shinzo Abe following a North Korean ballistic missile launch last week without also consulting the South.

Meanwhile, Park was interrogated for a third time in jail Saturday as state prosecutors weigh up corruption allegations against the ousted leader.

Investigators will have until April 19 to keep Park in detention before formally indicting her. South Korea will hold a snap election to choose her long-term successor on May 9.