▲ President Lee Jae-myung and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva hold a small-group meeting at the presidential residence in Brasília.
President Lee Jae-myung, currently on a state visit to Brazil, held a summit with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and adopted a South Korea-Brazil joint statement.
The two leaders agreed through the statement to further strengthen bilateral cooperation as strategic partners connecting Latin America and Asia to respond to complex global challenges, Senior Presidential Secretary for Public Relations Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing.
Particularly amid growing uncertainty in the international trade environment, they shared the view that trade agreement (TA) negotiations between South Korea and Mercosur serve as a core foundation for a new leap in bilateral economic cooperation, and agreed to join forces to advance them.
Specifically, they agreed to establish a South Korea-Brazil bilateral working group to announce the resumption of negotiations on the occasion of the 69th Mercosur Summit in December this year, Secretary Kang said.
The joint statement notably included measures for cooperation on rare earths, a key strategic material.
The statement included the phrase, "The two leaders emphasized the importance of cooperation on minerals such as rare earths, as well as building diversified, resilient, sustainable, and inclusive supply chains, and underscored their willingness to discuss advancing all stages of the supply chain, including technology transfer."
Mercosur is a South American customs union comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, and is considered a strategic stronghold as South America's largest economic bloc rich in major mineral resources such as lithium and nickel.
The two leaders also agreed to strengthen strategic coordination in the international community, and based on shared understanding regarding major global issues such as multilateralism and climate change response, they decided to continue close cooperation on multilateral stages including the United Nations and the Group of 20 (G20) summits.
Regarding the war in the Middle East, a high-profile issue drawing intense global attention, the two leaders stated, "We express serious concern over the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and its impact on freedom of navigation, the safety of international maritime transport, and global energy, food, and trade security, particularly its disproportionate impact on developing countries."
They added, "We urge the protection of seafarers and civilian vessels and respect for international law, and urge all relevant parties to engage in good-faith negotiations aiming to conclude a comprehensive peace agreement."
On the war in Ukraine, they explained, "We reaffirmed the need for a just and lasting peace consistent with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law."
Peace on the Korean Peninsula was also included in the statement.
The two leaders stated, "We reaffirmed our commitment to the complete denuclearization and lasting peace of the Korean Peninsula."
Regarding Brazil's stance, the statement specified, "Brazil supports the Republic of Korea's efforts to achieve peaceful coexistence and mutual growth on the Korean Peninsula through active tension-reduction and trust-building measures to resume inter-Korean dialogue, and further through the expansion of inter-Korean exchanges, normalization of relations, and the achievement of phased denuclearization."
Following the summit, a state luncheon was held to welcome President Lee.
During the luncheon, President Lula expressed his intention to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the education sector, stating, "Education is the most important investment for the future, and South Korea's development and growth are based on talent cultivation through education."
In the evening, President Lula hosted a cultural performance and reception for President Lee at the Itamaraty Palace, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
A large number of business leaders from both countries attended the reception.
Thirteen figures attended from the South Korean side, including Ryu Jin, Chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries; Chang In-hwa, Chairman of POSCO; Cho Won-tae, Chairman of Korean Air; and Park Seung-hee, President of Samsung Electronics.
At the cultural performance, São Paulo-born singer and composer Paula Lima and soloist Danielle Lima from the Theatro Municipal de São Paulo choir sang Brazil's famous bossa nova song "The Girl from Ipanema" and the Korean song "Evergreen," among others.
(Photo: Joint Press Corps, Yonhap News)
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