South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (second from right) attends the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on Tuesday. (Yonhap) President Lee Jae Myung held a brief exchange with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit Tuesday, during which Lee asked Trump to help lead efforts toward a peaceful resolution of North Korean issues, according to the presidential office here.The two leaders spoke for about 30 seconds during a group photo session for participating leaders at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France.According to a written briefing by Lee's spokesperson Kang Yu-jung, Trump initiated the conversation, asking "President Lee about the current state of inter-Korean relations."In response, Lee told Trump that "just as he had sought to resolve the war in the Middle East, he should also lead efforts for the peaceful resolution of the North Korean issue," Kang said."President Trump responded by expressing his intention to work toward resolving the North Korean issue," she added.The brief exchange marked the latest contact between the two leaders, who have previously held talks in Gyeongju and Washington since Lee took office in June last year.Though Seoul has sought to arrange a formal bilateral summit between Lee and Trump on the sidelines of the G7 gathering, a presidential official said no concrete progress had been made and that the possibility remained uncertain.Earlier in the day, Lee was welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron upon arriving at the summit venue. During the welcome ceremony, Macron asked Lee, "How are you?" to which the South Korean president replied, "I am so happy."Lee later joined the first expanded session of the G7 summit under the theme "Forging New Partnerships and Rebuilding International Solidarity."According to the presidential office, Lee highlighted the growing gap between rising development needs in developing countries and declining levels of international development assistance, stressing the need for new forms of cooperation between donor and recipient countries.He also called attention to disparities in access to artificial intelligence technologies, arguing that technological advances should be shared more broadly so that AI-driven innovation does not deepen existing economic inequalities.On the sidelines of the summit, Lee held separate talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, discussing ways to expand cooperation in strategic industries and strengthen coordination on global challenges.In his meeting with Merz, the two agreed to deepen cooperation in future-oriented sectors such as artificial intelligence, energy and defense, while enhancing coordination on supply chain resilience and climate change, according to a post Lee shared on X. Lee also welcomed the upcoming Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business, scheduled to be held in South Korea in October, expressing hope that it would further expand mutually beneficial economic cooperation between the two countries. Merz, for his part, reaffirmed Germany's commitment to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.Lee and Carney discussed strengthening cooperation in defense, science and technology, while also exploring ways to bolster critical minerals supply chains, according to Carney's X. Following the talks, Carney said the two countries had launched negotiations toward a new bilateral partnership and outlined plans to begin stockpiling critical minerals this year.Lee also met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with both leaders expressing a desire to expand cooperation beyond current levels. In a post on X shared after the meeting, Lee said South Korea and India had agreed to strengthen cooperation across economic, cultural and social sectors and elevate bilateral ties to a "new relationship," noting that the current level of cooperation falls short of the two countries' economic size and potential. Modi, through X, likewise described the talks as "very good" and said the two countries were working together in trade, commerce and a range of future-oriented sectors.Lee is scheduled to attend additional summit sessions on Wednesday before returning to Seoul at the conclusion of his 10-day trip to Europe.