President Lee Arrives in Brazil, Inspects Transport Aircraft Ahead of Summit With Lula

President Lee Jae-myung, who headed to South America after wrapping up his visit to San Francisco, United States, has arrived in the Brazilian capital of Brasilia.

Upon the arrival of President Lee and the First Lady, they were greeted by Brazilian welcoming figures including the Chief of Protocol and the Director-General for Asia and Oceania of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with South Korean Ambassador to Brazil Choi Young-han and his spouse.

Following the welcoming ceremony, President Lee inspected a Brazilian-made large transport aircraft, the C-390, stationed nearby.

Manufactured by Brazil's Embraer, a total of three C-390 transport aircraft are scheduled to be delivered to the South Korean Air Force, starting with the first unit this December through December of next year.

The project is valued at a total of 883 billion won.

After receiving a briefing from the Brazilian side on the specifications and delivery schedule of the transport aircraft, President Lee said, "This holds great significance as the very first beginning of defense cooperation between South Korea and Brazil," adding, "Let us forge even greater cooperation moving forward."

Beginning today, President Lee will carry out a state visit to Brazil through July 29 at the invitation of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

First, a summit meeting with President Lula will take place in the capital city of Brasilia.

As President Lee and President Lula have built close ties on various international stages based on their common background as former child laborers, the presidential office expects that in-depth discussions regarding bilateral cooperation will take place this time as well.

President Lee plans to subsequently travel to Sao Paulo to preside over a luncheon meeting with Korean residents and the South Korea-Brazil Business Roundtable.

Then, from July 29 for a two-day span, he will pay an official visit to Chile and hold a summit with Chilean President José Antonio Kast of Chile's newly launched government this year.

Events including a dinner meeting with Korean residents, a wreath-laying ceremony at the statue of Chile's founding hero Bernardo O'Higgins, and the South Korea-Chile Business Roundtable will also be held.

From July 30 to August 1, he will make an official visit to Argentina for the first time by a South Korean president in 22 years, holding a summit with President Javier Milei.

Events such as laying a wreath at Plaza San Martín honoring Argentina's independence heroes and a dinner meeting with local Korean residents have also been arranged.

Director of National Security Wi Sung-lak explained in a prior briefing, "Through this visit, we can expect the expansion of trade and investment and market pioneering with Brazil, Chile, and Argentina, which are key economic powerhouses in South America," adding, "It is meaningful in expanding South Korea's diplomatic horizons toward the Global South."

He further emphasized, "We can anticipate establishing economic security partnerships with three major South American countries that are resource-rich nations," noting, "Brazil's rare earth reserves rank second in the world, while Chile's copper and lithium reserves rank first. Argentina also possesses abundant shale gas."

He also added, "We plan to discuss the modernization of the free trade agreement (FTA) with Chile, which was our first FTA partner country."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.