Kwon Sung-dong and Hong Joon-pyo meet behind closed doors in Manafort, close to Trump

Kwon Sung-dong, the floor leader of the People's Power Party, and Daegu Mayor Hong Joon Pyo reportedly met with Paul Manafort, a close aide to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who recently visited Korea behind closed doors.

Manafort met with floor leader Kwon on the 7th and reportedly showed a lot of interest in Korea's political situation and presidential election schedule after the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol was passed.

It was also reported that the U.S. recognized the importance of the South Korea-U.S. alliance.

At the meeting, Mayor Hong mentioned the need for independent nuclear armament, mentioning the theory of inter-Korean nuclear balance, and they talked about the Korea-U.S. relations and security issues of the second Trump administration, an official said.

Manafort invited Hong to Trump's inauguration, parade and dinner.

Manafort served as the head of the presidential campaign's campaign team in the 2016 presidential election, when Trump was first elected.