First ASEAN Schedule on the 26th: Dinner Meeting with Local Korean Residents
Meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister on the 27th to Discuss Response to Scam Crimes
Second South Korea-U.S. Summit on the 29th: Shortest Interval Between Mutual Visits
President Lee Jaemyung (pictured) will attend a series of multilateral summits, starting with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and continuing with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit. On the occasion of the APEC Summit to be held in Gyeongju, the second South Korea-United States summit will take place on the 29th, followed by the first South Korea-China summit on the 1st of next month.
President Lee Jae-myung is presiding over the Senior Secretary Meeting held at the Yongsan Presidential Office in Seoul on the 23rd. Photo by Yonhap News
Wi Sunglak, Director of the National Security Office, held a press briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the 24th and explained, "While the ASEAN Summit will continue until the evening of the 27th, President Lee is scheduled to return to Korea on the afternoon of the 27th to prepare for the APEC Summit in Gyeongju." Upon his return, President Lee will attend the APEC events in Gyeongju from the 29th through the 1st of next month.
President Lee’s first official event at ASEAN will be a dinner meeting with the local Korean community on the 26th. On the following day, the 27th, his first agenda item will be a summit with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. In subsequent discussions among ASEAN, South Korea, China, and Japan, he will explore ways to strengthen cooperation and will also hold a summit with the Prime Minister of Malaysia, the chair country. Director Wi stated, "President Lee’s first participation in the ASEAN Summit since taking office will serve as an opportunity to further advance the annual trade volume of 200 billion dollars and the people-to-people exchanges exceeding 12 million," adding, "We aim to strengthen future cooperation and establish a partnership to jointly respond to online scam crimes."
The main focus is on the South Korea-United States summit to be held during the APEC Summit following the ASEAN meetings. On the afternoon of the 29th, President Lee will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, who will visit Korea as a state guest, for their second summit. This marks the shortest interval in history for reciprocal visits between the leaders of the two countries. While there is little expectation of a dramatic breakthrough in the unresolved South Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations, there remains the possibility of an advanced agreement being announced in the security sector. Director Wi commented, "It is true that a certain level of understanding has been reached between the two countries in the field of security," and added, "We are making efforts to ensure that outcomes in security negotiations can be announced either collectively or separately."
President Lee’s first event at APEC will be the APEC CEO Summit on the 29th. On the 30th, official events include the visit of Canadian Prime Minister Marc Kenny and several bilateral meetings with participating APEC member countries. On the morning of the 1st of next month, President Lee will personally hand over the APEC chairmanship to Chinese President Xi Jinping, and in the afternoon, he will hold a South Korea-China summit. As President Xi will also be visiting Korea as a state guest, related events are scheduled to take place in Gyeongju. Sanae Takaichi, the newly appointed Prime Minister of Japan, will also attend APEC. On the following day, the 2nd, President Lee will move to Seoul to host the official visit of Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, thereby concluding his diplomatic schedule.
Director Wi explained, "With China’s first state visit in 11 years, we aim to restore relations, and with the new Japanese Prime Minister, we seek to secure momentum for maintaining a positive South Korea-Japan relationship."
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