South Korean official: Too early to say if President Lee will meet Trump at G7

ROME, June 13 (Yonhap) -- A senior South Korean official has said that it is "too early" to say whether President Lee Jae Myung would meet U.S. President Donald Trump for a summit on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) summit in France next week.

The remarks by the presidential official on Thursday came as both Lee and Trump are expected to attend the G7 gathering set to take place in Evian from Monday to Wednesday.

Lee is scheduled to attend the G7 summit from Tuesday to Wednesday as the head of an invited partner, marking the second consecutive year South Korea has been invited to the event.

"Dialogue can take place if opportunities are facilitated, but it is difficult to comment on the possibility of arranging it for now," the official noted.

"Every schedule remains fluid, and (the event) takes place over a short period," the official said, explaining the uncertainty.

Their bilateral meeting, if held, would come as the two allies face a series of key issues, including the implementation of last year's bilateral security and trade agreements, as well as ongoing efforts to "modernize" the decades-old alliance.

Lee and Trump have so far held two in-person summits -- the first in Washington in August and the second in the southern South Korean city of Gyeongju in October.