Yoon, Trump agree to meet 'at early date' in 12-minute call

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday that he and US President-elect Donald Trump agreed to “meet at an early date” to discuss possible resolutions on North Korean provocation and the prosperity of the alliance, in a 12-minute phone call held early in the day.

"We talked for some 10 minutes on the phone at 8 a.m. I, of course, offered him my congratulations first and discussed several (issues) including (the need) to build strong solidarity and partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region based on the South Korea-US alliance," Yoon said during a televised address and press conference marking the second half of his term.

"I asked (Trump) if he had any interest in North Korea rather than discussing Pyongyang's nuclear issues: that they have sent 7,000 trash balloons (across the border to the South), our people are suffering from major damages, that they jammed our GPS signals and they have launched ICBMs, IRBMs and SRBMs left and right," he added.

Pyongyang has ramped up its provocations since earlier this year, leading to heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula. It has launched some 7,000 balloons carrying trash into the South since late May in retaliation for what Pyongyang claims are anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets sent across the border by activists in the South. It staged multiple GPS jamming attacks in waters near the South's northwestern border islands around May as well. Intercontinental ballistic missiles, intermediate-range ballistic missiles, and short-range ballistic missiles were frequently launched from the North in a show of force throughout this year.

"(Trump said the provocations) are unbelievable. ... We talked about meeting at an early date to (share) a lot of information and discuss the resolutions (to such provocations)," Yoon explained.

Yoon stressed that although Pyongyang's nuclear program was not discussed directly, the topic of North Korean missile launches was heavily related to the issue.

"(The topics of) ICBM and SRBM are ultimately about nuclear issues because the North launches the missiles to (test its nuclear capability)," he said.

The South Korean president also highlighted the role of Korean shipbuilders in repairing US naval ships, stressing the importance of cross-border cooperation in both economy and security.

"I asked (Trump) if he knew that Korean shipbuilders are repairing US naval ships and he told me that the shipbuilding industry in the US has noticeably shrunk which is why it is important to cooperate with South Korea in such areas. In response, I said that we plan to actively participate (in such collaborations) for the US economy and security."

The phone call, which spanned 12 minutes, according to the presidential office, closely followed Republican candidate Trump's victory in the US presidential election against Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.

Observers here have said that the second Donald Trump administration could lead to major foreign policy shifts in Washington that could rattle the South Korea-US alliance. Washington’s stance towards the security situation on the Korean peninsula, currently threatened by Pyongyang’s advancing nuclear and missile program, could change as well, they said.

Trump may seek to renegotiate the defense cost-sharing deal with the South, which could increase Seoul's share of the cost for stationing the 28,500 US troops here, observers added.