The US Embassy in Seoul recently sounded out South Korea's parliament about a possible speech by President Donald Trump at the National Assembly during his visit here next month, a source said Monday.

Trump is slated to visit Korea for the first time as president early next month, as part of an Asia trip that would also take him to Japan, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. No exact schedule has been announced yet.

"Late last week, the US embassy asked the legislature's secretariat if President Trump would be able to deliver a speech at the assembly during his visit to Korea," the parliamentary source, who declined to be named, told Yonhap News Agency.


"We need discussions among the floor leaders of the ruling and opposition parties to arrange the timing. Given that foreign heads of state have delivered parliamentary speeches in the past, he should be able to deliver a speech, barring any objections."

The source noted that the embassy did not explain why or for what purpose it was exploring the possibility of a speech by the US president.

Should a schedule for the speech be arranged, Trump would become the first US president to address the assembly since former US President Bill Clinton spoke there 24 years ago. (Yonhap)