Summit with President Sheinbaum set for Thursday
President Lee Jae Myung left New York on Wednesday (local time) to begin a state visit to Mexico, the second stop on his overseas tour, which started with his attendance at the UN General Assembly.
Lee and first lady Kim Hye-kyung departed John F. Kennedy International Airport that afternoon bound for Mexico.
After traveling to Mexico City and resting for a day, Lee is scheduled to hold a summit with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo on Thursday.
The visit marks the first state visit to Mexico by a South Korean president in 16 years. Lee plans to hold in-depth discussions with Sheinbaum on expanding bilateral trade and investment and on institutional support measures to help South Korean companies establish and strengthen their presence in Mexico.
The two sides also intend to actively discuss cooperation on energy and mineral supply chains, given Mexico's abundant natural resources including crude oil.
On Friday, Lee will attend a business forum at the World Trade Center Mexico City and visit a K-Expo event.
The visit aims to solidify a foundation for K-content and South Korean businesses to expand into Latin America through Mexico, the region's largest K-pop market and its top import destination from South Korea.
Cheong Wa Dae said the trip would go a long way toward broadening the horizons of cultural diplomacy by positioning Mexico — a key consumer market for K-content — as a strategic platform for South Korean expansion into Latin America.
Lee is set to leave Mexico City on Saturday morning and head home.
Mexico is a major market of about 130 million people with a GDP of $1.8 trillion, and serves as a critical gateway to the North American market.
Mexico is South Korea's top trading and investment partner in Latin America, with around 560 South Korean companies actively operating there.
National Security Director Wi Sung-lac said at an earlier briefing that the summit would feature "in-depth discussions on expanding bilateral trade and investment and on institutional support measures to firmly back South Korean companies' entry into Mexico and their activities there," adding that the two sides would "actively discuss cooperation on energy and mineral supply chains, given Mexico's abundant natural resources such as crude oil."
Wi went on to say that the presidential office would "make thorough preparations so that this state visit opens a new chapter in the strategic partnership established between the two countries in 2005 and sets a firm milestone toward shared prosperity."
sang@heraldcorp.com
