President Lee, Lula Hold Summit... "Resume S. Korea-Mercosur Agreement"

[Anchor]

President Lee Jae-myung, currently on a tour of South America, has held a summit with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The two leaders agreed to restart free trade negotiations between South Korea and four South American nations, including Brazil.

[Reporter]

The vehicle carrying President Lee arrives at the presidential palace in Brazil, escorted by a Brazilian mounted honor guard.

Reuniting about a month after the G7 summit in France last month, President Lee and President Lula greeted each other with a warm embrace, and the South Korean national anthem echoed through the presidential palace.

Making a state visit to Brazil as the first South Korean president in 11 years, President Lee held a summit with President Lula lasting about two hours to discuss cooperation in the economic, security, and cultural sectors.

In particular, the two leaders agreed to resume the free trade agreement between South Korea and Mercosur, the four South American countries including Brazil, which has been effectively stalled since 2021.

[President Lee Jae-myung : We deeply shared the understanding that a trade agreement between South Korea and Mercosur is an important task that can no longer be delayed.]

[Lula / Brazilian President : We plan to form a task force to ensure there are no obstacles in resuming negotiations for the trade agreement between South Korea and Mercosur.]

They also agreed to strengthen cooperation on supply chains for critical minerals, as Brazil holds the world's second-largest reserves of rare earths, and to expand cooperation in energy and the defense industry.

[President Lee Jae-myung : We agreed on the need to expand cooperation across the entire lifecycle of critical mineral supply chains between the two countries' companies and institutions.]

On the occasion of the summit, seven MOUs were signed, including streamlining the use of Brazil's space launch center and vitalizing human exchanges in sports with the powerhouse of football, Brazil.

President Lee repeatedly mentioned their shared background as former child laborers and displayed their friendship by making a finger heart.

Having concluded the summit with President Lula, President Lee is scheduled to move to São Paulo to attend a South Korea-Brazil business event.

(Video filming: Jeong Sang-bo, Video editing: Lee Seung-hee)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.