President Lee Concludes U.S. Visit, Embarks on State Visit to Mexico

President Lee Jae-myung, who visited the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly, has wrapped up his itinerary in New York and departed for Mexico.

Accompanied by First Lady Kim Hye-kyung, President Lee boarded Air Force One on the afternoon of September 23 (local time) at JFK Airport in New York, seen off by South Korean Ambassador to the United States Kang Kyung-wha and South Korean Ambassador to the United Nations Cha Ji-hoon and his wife.

The visit to Mexico comes at the invitation of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, marking the first state visit by a South Korean president to Mexico in 16 years.

Earlier in New York, President Lee completed a range of engagements, including attending the UN General Assembly and holding a South Korea-U.S. summit.

Arriving in New York on the evening of September 21 (local time), President Lee and First Lady Kim visited Koreatown in Midtown Manhattan to meet with Korean residents and interact with local citizens.

The following day, on September 22 (local time), President Lee delivered a keynote address at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, stating that he would pursue growth through cooperation grounded in mutual respect for each other's systems and recognition of differences between North and South Korea.

He also said, "We will respect the North on the international stage as well and cooperate where cooperation is needed," which is seen as an intention to engage North Korea as a partner for dialogue in addressing issues requiring international cooperation, such as public health, disasters, and the climate crisis.

In addition, he expressed his commitment to pursuing multilateral dialogue among relevant nations, including South Korea, North Korea, the United States, and China, to establish a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

President Lee also proposed a "Coalition of Constructive Contributors," under which nations with the capacity and willingness to supply global public goods take the lead in expanding areas of cooperation to address energy supply chain challenges, such as those arising from potential blockades of the Strait of Hormuz.

Following the UN General Assembly, President Lee also held his third bilateral summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.

During the 30-minute meeting held in a separate room during a reception hosted by President Trump and the First Lady, the two leaders discussed key bilateral security issues, including nuclear submarine fuel, enrichment and reprocessing, shipbuilding cooperation, and the transfer of wartime operational control.

The two sides also discussed "cooperation in the shipbuilding sector, including the construction of naval vessels."

Introducing these discussions at the "2026 Korea Investment Summit" held in New York on the morning of September 23 (local time), President Lee added, "I look forward to seeing somewhat more tangible results going forward."

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