South Korean President Lee arrives in Frankfurt for meeting with members of Korean community
Frankfurt, Aug 2
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung arrived in Frankfurt on Sunday, where he was scheduled to meet with members of the Korean community in Germany before returning to Seoul.
Frankfurt is the final stop in his five-nation tour, which began July 24 in San Francisco, where he met with the heads of global tech companies to promote South Korea's vision to become a global hub for artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Since then, Lee has visited Brazil, Chile and Argentina, where he held summits with the countries' leaders to strengthen cooperation on critical mineral supplies and other bilateral issues.
In Frankfurt, Lee will meet with members of the Korean community in Germany before returning to Seoul later Sunday.
President Lee Jae Myung arrived in Frankfurt after wrapping up his visit to Argentina.
In Buenos Aires, Lee held a summit with his Argentine counterpart, President Javier Milei, during which the two leaders agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation on critical minerals, including by pursuing joint projects across the entire lithium value chain.
They also agreed to enhance cooperation on South Korea's imports of Argentine crude oil beginning next year while pledging to work toward the prompt resumption of negotiations on a free trade agreement between South Korea and the South American trade bloc Mercosur.
On Friday, President Lee Jae Myung said that South Korea and Argentina will usher in a new era of cooperation, saying closer bilateral collaboration is strategically more important than ever. Lee made the remarks at a meeting with members of the South Korean community in Argentina.
"I am confident that a new era of cooperation between Argentina and South Korea will fully unfold," the president said.
"Amid the changing international order, from the artificial intelligence revolution to shifts in global supply chains, strategic bilateral cooperation is more important than ever," he said.
Lee stressed that cooperation between South Korea and Argentina is entering a stage of tangible results, with bilateral collaboration expanding to critical minerals, including lithium, as well as energy and infrastructure.
— IANS
Reader Comments
The lithium angle is smart. South Korea knows they need secure supply chains. Germany and the Korean community there must be a nice way to end such a long tour. Good diplomacy.
I appreciate the focus on strengthening ties with Argentina and Brazil. South America has vast mineral resources. Korea's strategic thinking here is worth applauding. We in India should also diversify our partnerships like this.
It's good to see global leaders meeting with their diaspora communities abroad. The Korean community in Germany is quite active. Nice gesture before heading home.
So much travel in such a short time! Five nations in 10 days is intense. But I guess that's what it takes in today's geopolitics. The AI semiconductor vision is ambitious—hope it works out for them.
The focus on lithium value chains is very forward-thinking. With the EV revolution, whoever controls lithium will have an edge. India needs to watch this space closely too. Solid diplomacy, Korea. 👏
The Mercosur FTA revival is noteworthy. It’s been stalled for years. If Korea can get it moving, that’s a big win for their trade strategy. Curious to see how it plays out.
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