Meeting with Asian Development Bank president

President Lee Jae-myung [Yonhap]
President Lee Jae-myung [Yonhap]

President Lee Jae-myung met Monday with Asian Development Bank President Masato Kanda to discuss energy cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.

Lee received Kanda at his Cheong Wa Dae office on the sidelines of the Korea-Central Asia Summit, which brought the ADB chief to Seoul.

The meeting aimed to link Korea-Central Asia summit diplomacy with ADB cooperation and strengthen ties with the bank to expand opportunities for Korean companies abroad.

Lee proposed broadening the partnership, saying Central Asia holds significant growth potential given its abundant natural resources and geographic advantages.

Kanda said South Korea's economy had delivered outstanding results even amid uncertain global economic conditions, adding that he was impressed by Lee's remarkable leadership in AI and the digital sector.

The two also discussed cooperation in AI. Lee outlined his vision of "AI for all" and South Korea's efforts toward global AI development, saying that combining Korea's AI capabilities with the ADB's development expertise could yield meaningful results.

On energy infrastructure, the two sides discussed ways to leverage South Korean technology and experience in ADB-led projects to expand energy infrastructure across the Asia-Pacific — including the ASEAN Power Grid initiative — as well as the bank's financing policies related to nuclear power plants.

Kanda also expressed hope that the Korea-Central Asia Summit, being held in South Korea this week, would be a success.


sang@heraldcorp.com