Lee is in Greece to attend the Pyeongchang 2018 Torch lighting ceremony in Olympia, which took place today.

He is due to hold meetings with Greek President Prokopios Pavlopoulos and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, but joined officials from the Olympic Movement for the ceremony.

According to the South Korean news agency Yonhap, Lee asked United States Olympic Committee chairman Larry Probst for help to encourage Trump to attend the Games.

It is claimed Probst vowed to make an effort to achieve that aim, but could make no promises over the attendance of the US President.

Trump has been vocal in recent months over tensions in the Korean Peninsula, following a series of missile launches by North Korea.

The increasing rhetoric between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has escalated tensions further.

Kim has warned that North Korea would consider the "highest level of hard-line countermeasures in history" against America in response to Trump's threat to destroy them.

The South Korean Government have repeatedly sought to assure countries the Games will be safe, with all qualified nations expected to attend.

Lee yesterday expressed his confidence that the Games would be a success despite the ongoing tensions.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in last month suggested the Games could offer an opportunity to hold diplomatic talks to ease tensions in the region, amid suggestions he had invited Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Games.

It is also hoped Chinese President Xi Jinping could attend the Winter Olympics and Paralympics, while Lee has now targeted Trump's attendance.

The South Korean Prime Minister praised International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach's assertions that the Games will be safe.

"Concerns, big and small, arise in the course of preparations for the Olympics, and we really appreciate that Chairman Bach keeps sending a message to the entire world that Pyeongchang will be a safe and peaceful Olympics," Lee said, according to Yonhap.

North Korea’s participation in the Games remains possible, with figure skaters Tae Ok Ryom and Ju Sik Kim having qualified last month.

French Sports Minister Laura Flessel has warned that if the crisis in the region deepened and "our security cannot be assured, the French Olympics team will stay at home".

Alfons Hörmann, the President of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), also claimed he would understand if his country's athletes did not want to compete because of safety concerns.

However, Yonhap has since reported that Michael Vesper, chief executive of the DOSB, has now reiterated the country's support of the Games.

Other sports officials have downplayed concerns and publicly declared that they have no safety worries and fully intend to participate.