President Lee to Hold Summit with Singapore Prime Minister on March 2... Joint Declaration to Launch FTA Upgrade Negotiations

Itinerary Begins with Official Welcoming Ceremony and Orchid Naming Event

Five MOUs Signed in Areas Including AI and SMRs

President Lee to Attend Korea-Singapore "AI Connect Summit" in Person

President Lee Jaemyung, who is on a state visit to Singapore, began his first official engagements on the 2nd by attending an official welcoming ceremony and an orchid naming ceremony at the Singapore government building, together with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and his spouse.

President Lee Jae-myung inspects the honor guard with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the state visit welcome ceremony held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Singapore on the 2nd. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The orchid is the national flower of Singapore, and the orchid naming ceremony is an event in which a newly bred orchid hybrid is named after a visiting head of state or other distinguished guests. This unique diplomatic tradition of Singapore is intended to strengthen friendly ties and promote goodwill with foreign nations. Kang Yujeong, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, explained, "The orchid that will be named after President Lee and First Lady Kim Hyekyung belongs to the genus Vanda, and its final name will be Vanda Lee Jaemyung Kim Hyekyung."

Afterwards, President Lee will meet with President Tharman for bilateral talks and then hold a summit meeting with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, followed by an MOU exchange ceremony, a joint press announcement, and a luncheon to promote friendship. As a result of this summit, the two countries will issue a joint declaration announcing the launch of negotiations to upgrade the Korea-Singapore FTA and are expected to sign five MOUs in fields such as AI and digital, science and technology, and small modular reactors (SMRs).

President Jae-myung Lee and First Lady Hye-kyung Kim, who are on a state visit to Singapore, are conducting an orchid naming ceremony with Tarman Shanmugaratnam, President of Singapore, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Singapore on the 2nd following the official welcoming ceremony. The orchid naming ceremony is an event that names a newly cultivated orchid species after a distinguished guest, a unique diplomatic custom of Singapore, where the orchid is the national flower. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

President Lee will then attend the 'AI Connect Summit' to hold discussions with future AI leaders from both countries, and will conclude his Singapore visit by attending a state banquet hosted by President Tharman and his spouse.

President Lee and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong have actively engaged through multilateral forums such as ASEAN, APEC, and the G20 last year, as well as through Prime Minister Wong's first official visit to Korea in November last year. This state visit is expected to further deepen the bonds and trust between President Lee and Prime Minister Wong, and provide fresh momentum for accelerating the development of the Korea-Singapore strategic partnership established by the two leaders last year.

Spokesperson Kang stated, "Korea and Singapore are expected to achieve concrete results not only in traditional areas of cooperation such as trade, investment, and infrastructure, but also in promising future sectors such as advanced technologies like AI and nuclear power."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.