Trip marks first bilateral EU visit by a South Korean president in 8 years; agenda to cover energy, critical minerals and global uncertainty
President Lee Jae-myung will depart for Europe on Tuesday for a multi-country tour and attendance at the G7 summit in France.
National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said at a briefing at Cheong Wa Dae on Friday that Lee will visit Belgium, the EU, Italy and the Vatican from Tuesday through June 18, and attend the G7 summit in Évian, France.
"This tour and the G7 attendance will serve as an opportunity to meaningfully expand South Korea's engagement with Europe, building on the diplomatic achievements of the Lee administration's first year," Wi said.
Lee will arrive in Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday and begin his schedule with a meeting with the Korean diaspora community. On Wednesday, he will hold summit talks with the Belgian prime minister and meet with the king. That afternoon, he will hold talks with EU leaders and attend a signing ceremony.
Wi said this year marks the 125th anniversary of diplomatic ties between South Korea and Belgium, and that the EU visit will be the first bilateral call by a South Korean president in eight years. Lee will hold summit talks with European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen — his first meetings with both since their talks on the sidelines of last year's G7 summit in Canada.
Against a backdrop of growing global uncertainty — including geopolitical tensions and a weakening of multilateralism — the EU visit is expected to include close consultations on key regional situations such as the Korean Peninsula and the Middle East, as well as discussions on cooperation in energy, supply chain stability and critical minerals.
Lee will then make a state visit to Italy from June 11 to June 13 at the invitation of President Sergio Mattarella.
Wi said Lee has previously met Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September last year and again during her official visit to South Korea in January. "This will be their third official meeting," he said.
Wi added that the Italian side's state visit program includes a trip to Florence as well as Rome.
Lee will visit the Vatican on June 14 and 15, where he will meet with Pope Leo XIV and the Vatican's secretary of state. Wi said the visit comes roughly a year after Leo XIV's inauguration in May last year.
From June 16 to June 17, Lee will attend the G7 summit in Évian, France. Topics expected at the expanded session and working lunch — open to invited partner countries — include development cooperation, global economic imbalances, AI, critical minerals and energy security. This will be South Korea's second consecutive year at the G7.
sang@heraldcorp.com
