South Korean President Lee Jae-myung is concluding the longest overseas trip of his 14-month tenure, an 11-day journey that bridged the technological hubs of Silicon Valley with the resource-rich economies of South America. Since taking office in June 2025, Lee has utilized this tour to execute a "Global South diplomacy" strategy, aimed at diversifying South Korea's international trade and diplomatic reach beyond its traditional partners of the United States, China, and Japan.
The trip began on July 24 in San Francisco, where Lee held high-level meetings with major technology leaders, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and Broadcom President and CEO Hock Tan. These discussions were designed to support South Korea’s three flagship megaprojects involving semiconductors, AI data centers, and physical AI. On July 25, during the San Francisco AI Summit, the president introduced the San Francisco Declaration on AI, committing the nation to serve as a stable, trusted production and supply-chain partner for AI chips amid global shortages.
Following his technology-focused start, Lee traveled to Brazil on July 26 for a state visit at the invitation of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. At their July 27 summit at the Alvorada Palace, the two leaders declared 2026 the inaugural year of an upgraded strategic partnership. The visit resulted in seven memoranda of understanding covering areas such as industrial technology, space, energy, and cybersecurity. A key outcome was the decision to form a joint working group to revive long-stalled negotiations for a Korea-Mercosur trade agreement by December. Brazil’s status as a holder of the world’s second-largest rare earth element reserves, totaling 21 million tons, made it a focal point for securing critical mineral supply chains.
On July 29, Lee arrived in Santiago, marking the first visit by a South Korean president to Chile in 11 years. During a joint press conference with Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast, the leaders agreed to modernize their 2004 free trade agreement and reactivate the South Korea-Chile Free Trade Commission. The two nations signed five memoranda of understanding, including a ministerial-level partnership to secure copper and lithium supplies valued at approximately $2.1 billion annually, alongside agreements to combat transnational crime.
The final leg of the tour involves a visit to Buenos Aires on July 31 for a summit with Argentine President Javier Milei. This meeting, the first bilateral visit by a Korean president to Argentina in 22 years, is expected to focus on energy, food security, and a supply chain partnership for lithium, as Argentina holds the world’s fourth-largest reserves. Lee will conclude his travel with a meeting with the Korean community in Frankfurt, Germany, on August 2 before returning to Seoul.
