SEOUL, July 22 (AJP) -South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will begin a five-nation overseas trip on Friday with meetings in Silicon Valley alongside the world's leading artificial intelligence executives before heading to South America for summit diplomacy aimed at expanding South Korea's economic and strategic partnerships with the Global South.
The trip, running from July 24 to Aug. 3, will take Lee to San Francisco, Brazil, Chile, Argentina and Germany, the presidential office announced Wednesday. National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac and Presidential Chief of Staff for Policy Kim Yong-beom outlined the itinerary during a briefing.
Lee's first stop will be San Francisco, where he will spend two days meeting chief executives of leading AI companies and venture capital investors as Seoul seeks to accelerate investment and deepen technological cooperation.
According to Kim, Lee is scheduled to hold separate meetings with Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang, OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman, Anthropic Chief Executive Dario Amodei and Broadcom Chief Executive Hock Tan.
Lee will also attend the San Francisco AI Summit, bringing together global technology leaders and heads of South Korea's largest companies, including Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun and Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin.
Participants are expected to discuss South Korea's "three mega projects" strategy for AI development and broader cooperation within the global AI ecosystem.
Several memorandums of understanding between Korean companies and global technology firms are also expected to be signed during the event.
Lee is scheduled to unveil the San Francisco AI Declaration, laying out Seoul's vision of making South Korea an indispensable partner in the global AI ecosystem through expanded international cooperation and investment.
After concluding his U.S. visit, Lee will travel to Brazil from July 26 to 29 for a state visit at the invitation of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The two leaders are expected to discuss ways to expand cooperation in trade, investment, energy, critical minerals and other strategic industries.
Lee will then make an official visit to Chile from July 29 to 30 for summit talks with President Jose Antonio Kast before traveling to Argentina from July 30 to Aug. 1 for a meeting with President Javier Milei.
The presidential office said the South American tour is intended to deepen economic ties with three of the region's largest economies while broadening South Korea's diplomatic engagement with the Global South.
"This visit is expected to expand trade, investment and market opportunities with Brazil, Chile and Argentina, while broadening South Korea's diplomatic horizon toward the Global South," Wi said.
Lee will conclude the trip in Frankfurt, Germany, where he will meet members of the Korean community before returning to Seoul on Aug. 3.
The trip marks one of Lee's most ambitious overseas diplomatic missions since taking office, combining AI diplomacy with economic outreach as Seoul seeks to position itself as a leading global technology hub while diversifying partnerships beyond its traditional allies.
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