WASHINGTON -- South Korea's new leader dined with President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday as part of an effort to reassure Washington that he will coordinate closely on dealing with the North Korean threat.
Trump said at the start of the formal dinner with South Korean President Moon Jae-in that they would discuss North Korea and trade over two days of meetings. Moon has sought to make clear to the U.S. that he is serious about dealing with his neighbor's threat, despite having long advocated engagement with North Korea to address its nuclear weapons development.
Trump tweeted later Thursday that he had a "very good meeting" with Moon in which they discussed North Korea and a "new trade deal!"
North Korea is making technological progress toward a nuclear-tipped missile that could strike the continental U.S. and isn't interested in negotiations aimed at dismantling its atomic arsenal.
"We have a lot to work together for," Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin said as top House lawmakers sat down earlier with Moon on Capitol Hill. "We have shared concerns such as threats posed to both our nations from North Korea."
Moon began his four-day visit, his first overseas trip since taking office last month, with a symbolic show of his personal commitment to the U.S.-South Korean alliance.
He laid a wreath Wednesday at a memorial to Marines who fought in one of the fiercest battles of the Korean War, where a rearguard U.S. action enabled a mass evacuation of Korean civilians, including Moon's parents.
Moon has sought to allay concerns that his softer stance on North Korea could open fissures with Washington. He says sanctions alone cannot solve the problem, and the "right conditions" are needed for dialogue.
China is pushing the U.S. to start negotiations with the North. That prospect appears unlikely as Trump grows frustrated over China's level of economic pressure on the North.
Moon also met with Senate leaders. There is strong congressional support for ratcheting up sanctions, including against Chinese banks and companies that deal with North Korea.
On Thursday, the Trump administration imposed new sanctions on a Chinese bank, a Chinese company and two Chinese citizens to crack down on North Korea's financing and development of weapons of mass destruction.
The most significant action is directed at the Bank of Dandong, a Chinese lender that Treasury officials say acts as a conduit for illicit North Korean financial activity and money laundering.
The Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network is moving to sever the bank from the U.S. financial system, which would severely limit its ability to work with any other banks around the world.
Information for this article was contributed by Jill Colvin and Ken Thomas of The Associated Press and by Alan Rappeport of The New York Times.
A Section on 06/30/2017