Trump, seeking to revive the bond he claims to have forged with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in his first term, said last month that he plans to meet Kim later this year.

The US president also said it was important to “get along” with Kim, adding that Pyongyang now had 57 “very powerful” nuclear weapons. Seoul says there are around 80 to 120.

North Korea, which has secured critical backing from Russia in recent years, did not clearly respond to Trump’s overtures.

Lee said on Friday it was “clear” that “Trump wants dialogue, and I am also urging President Trump to engage in dialogue.”

South Korea — which Pyongyang has repeatedly labelled as its adversary —was continuing “preliminary coordination efforts” to facilitate dialogue between North Korea and the United States, Lee told reporters at the presidential Blue House.

He added that such a meeting “remains difficult … but is not impossible”.

“I cannot say for certain how likely it is, but it is also clear that we must make every possible effort to turn that possibility into reality,” he said.

South Korea and the US held a shorter edition of their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises last month, following an order from Trump to scale them back.

The truncated drills and Trump’s overtures to Pyongyang have raised concerns that Seoul could be sidelined in potential nuclear talks involving the North.

Seoul has also committed to $350 billion in US investments under a deal struck last year to avoid the worst of Trump’s tariffs, but specific projects and final terms are still being negotiated.

Lee said on Friday the negotiations had been “very complex and difficult”, adding that while the two sides were said to be close to agreement, he had found some terms “difficult to accept” and talks were continuing.

‘No, thank you’

The South Korean president also said that Seoul will not deploy troops to intervene militarily in the war on Iran.

“There will be no involvement or intervention in the war. We will not deploy troops or military assets in that manner,” said Lee.

Lee’s answer follows reports that Seoul was weighing a possible deployment to the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key flashpoint in the war.

He added that South Korea will “carry out the minimum necessary activities” to protect its own merchant ships and oil shipping routes.

Lee reiterated three times that South Korea would not deploy troops in a way that could lead to military intervention.

“We have upheld the principle of non-involvement and non-intervention in the war until now,” he said.

“And we will continue to uphold it going forward.”

Trump complained in an interview late last month that Washington had received “very little help” from other countries, singling out South Korea — its key security ally in Asia — as an example.

“We help them, but when it came to helping us, I didn’t put on a heavy sell, but I just said, ‘Would you like to participate?’” Trump said in an interview with Fox News.

“And they all said, ‘No, thank you.’ And I said, ‘I’m going to remember that to myself,’” he added.

The US stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea to bolster the country’s defences against the nuclear-armed North Korea.

However, Trump’s repeated criticism of time-honoured alliances has cast doubt on US commitments to security in East Asia.

Lee also ruled out seeking to extend his constitutionally limited single term in office, amid mounting criticism after he and some allies floated constitutional reform.

His approval ratings have fallen to record lows in recent weeks amid growing discontent over his real estate policies, controversial personnel appointments and concerns over stock market volatility.

He made the remarks in an interview with Arab News, clips of which were posted on its social media account on X on Friday.

The remarks come as fighting between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis has intensified, with the group making gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast near the strategic waterway and launching missile and drone attacks on Saudi territory, while Riyadh has stepped up airstrikes against Houthi positions.

This week, the Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthis accused the rebels of targeting the holy city of Makkah, sparking outrage across the Muslim world. However, the Houthis swiftly rejected Riyadh’s report as a “lie”.

“Pakistan fully stands with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, both diplomatically and physically. And I would like to underscore the word physically,” Lt Gen Chaudhry said in the interview with Arab News.

“We will go to any extent for the security of Haramain Sharifain and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To any extent as asked and required by our Saudi brothers,” he said.

“It should be clear that the people of Pakistan stand shoulder to shoulder with their Saudi brothers and sisters. There should be no doubt about it,” he said.

“So, in a nutshell, we are there and will continue to defend the kingdom of Saudi Arabia against any aggression,” he said.

The military’s spokesperson added that Pakistan’s politico-military leadership remained in continuous contact and engagement with the Saudi leadership.

He said that at the same time, Pakistan, “very earnestly and sincerely”, was working with the help of regional countries and others to find a “negotiated, peaceful outcome of this complex situation”.

“That’s where the position of Pakistan is,” he said.

In another clip posted on X, he said Pakistan “remained not only committed, but we are already there for the protection of Haramain Sharifain and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia”.

“We are there to protect them,” he asserted, reiterating that Pakistan would “go to any extent” as required by the Saudi leadership.

“Our commitment to Saudi security is unconditional. It stems from a deep-rooted, historical and unbreakable bond between the people of Pakistan and the people of Saudi Arabia, between the political and the military leadership of both countries,” he said.

“So, nothing stops us. Nothing bars us. Nothing is there which hesitates [sic] our commitment. So, whatever is required, whatever is asked, we will go to any extent for that,” he said.

According to the write-up of the interview, Lt Gen Chaudhry was also asked about the phone call between Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday.

“The politico-military leadership of Pakistan remains in continuous communication with the esteemed leadership of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia on all these matters,” he was quoted as saying by the publication.

Lt Gen Chaudhry added that Islamabad was consulting regional governments to seek “a negotiated and peaceful outcome” to the wider crisis.

He described the Islamabad memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran in June as “a consensus document which we think provides the only real pathway forward for getting out of this complex military situation in which we are’.

According to the publication, asked whether Pakistan expected to bring Washington and Tehran back to negotiations soon, the military spokesperson gave no timetable. He said Islamabad continued to search for common ground despite mistrust, “spoilers” and “detractors”.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had signed the “Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement” in Riyadh last September, pledging that any attack on either nation would be treated as an act of aggression against both.

Last month, the countries and Turkiye also signed the Makkah Defence Alliance, which stipulates that an attack on one member state would be treated as an attack on all. Its inaugural meeting was held in Istanbul on Aug 31, where it was decided that Pakistan would initially head the alliance’s secretariat for three years.

Earlier this week, Lt Gen Chaudhry said that the Makkah defence pact had no “regional aspirations” and that it was intended for collective deterrence.

“It is defensive. There’s nothing aggressive. There are no regional aspirations. It is collective deterrence,” he said in an interview with Al Arabiya English.

Meanwhile, Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan on Thursday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitments to Saudi Arabia’s security, but stressed that the Houthi conflict should be addressed through dialogue and diplomacy rather than through coercive means.

“The Houthis must also stop their activities, and in this regard, our discussions basically revolve around bringing peace and stability through dialogue and diplomacy, and not through coercive measures,” he said.

The FO spokesperson also said that Pakistan was committed “in intent and spirit” to implementing the agreements signed with Saudi Arabia. He nevertheless declined to disclose how Pakistan might respond operationally, saying such decisions involved matters of confidentiality.