SEOUL, February 23 (AJP) - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will hold a summit with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday to discuss practical cooperation across sectors ranging from artificial intelligence to space and defense.
The meeting marks the first state visit by a foreign leader since Lee returned to Cheong Wa Dae in December. It is also Lula's first state visit to South Korea in 21 years.
Following their discussions, the two leaders will attend a memorandum of understanding signing ceremony and deliver a joint press announcement that will be broadcast live. The official itinerary also includes a state dinner at the Yeongbingwan guest house and a social event at Sangchunjae.
The summit agenda covers trade, investment, climate change, energy, defense, science and technology, agriculture and cultural exchanges.
Instead of focusing solely on traditional commerce, the talks will prioritize what Brazilian Ambassador to South Korea Marcia Donner Abreu recently described as "productive integration" during an interview with AJP on Feb. 19. The approach is designed to move bilateral ties beyond simple buying and selling, focusing instead on joint value creation through linked supply chains and investments.
For example, rather than Brazil continuing to act strictly as a provider of raw materials like lithium and niobium, the two countries plan to collaborate on local downstream processing and refining. The governments also aim to build joint production lines for the C-390 transport aircraft and deepen partnerships in high-growth industries such as biopharmaceuticals, digital technologies and K-beauty.
The talks are supported by a personal rapport between the two leaders, who both experienced poverty and sustained work-related injuries as young factory workers. Lee and Lula previously bonded over their shared backgrounds during a meeting at the Group of Seven summit in Canada last June.
Lula will conclude his state visit to South Korea on Feb. 24.
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