President Lee Jae-myung reunited with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva a month later, showcasing their friendship during a summit that lasted about two hours.

President Lee arrived at the presidential palace in Brasília at around 10:30 a.m. local time, escorted by a Brazilian mounted honor guard.

After getting out of his vehicle and walking toward the front of the presidential palace square, President Lee greeted President Lula with a warm embrace upon meeting him.

This marks the two leaders' reunion about a month after the Group of Seven (G7) summit held in Evian, France, last June.

First Lady Kim Hye-kyung and First Lady Rosângela da Silva, the spouses of the two leaders, also exchanged smiling greetings.

The two leaders previously built close ties during President Lula's state visit to South Korea last February, where they spent time together getting custom-made hanbok.

President Lee and his wife then watched the national anthem performance and the inspection of the honor guard, military band, and mounted guard, receiving a welcome fitting for a state guest before heading inside the presidential palace for the summit.

During this process, President Lula was captured chatting familiarly with President Lee while linking arms.

The two leaders held small-group and enlarged summits for 140 minutes from 11:08 a.m. to 1:28 p.m.

Discussions during the session included bilateral supply chain cooperation, such as rare earths and other critical minerals for which Brazil ranks second in the world in reserves, and the resumption of negotiations for the South Korea-Mercosur (Southern Common Market) trade agreement.

The two couples watched a choral performance prepared by the Brazilian side, and President Lee expressed his affection in the guestbook by writing, "I hope we open the future of eternal friendship and joint prosperity between South Korea and Brazil together."

During the joint press conference following the summit, President Lula extended a surprise invitation, saying, "In September, we will have the opportunity to jointly launch a new projectile at the Alcântara Launch Center, and it would be wonderful if the President could attend in person."

President Lee responded, "It would be great for me to come here and see it in person," adding, "If that is difficult, I will check on it directly through video."

Mentioning their shared backgrounds as former factory workers, President Lee also said, "Tomorrow in São Paulo, I plan to visit the metalworkers' union office where you worked in your youth," adding, "I will reflect once more on President Lula's dream of never forgetting the reality of workers and striving to ensure a better life for everyone."

After finishing the joint press conference, the two leaders embraced once more, and at President Lula's suggestion, they made finger hearts, smiled brightly, and posed for commemorative photos.

(Photo: Yonhap News)