President Yoon Suk Yeol to Visit U.S. and Three South American Countries

President Yoon Suk Yeol will embark on an 11-day trip to San Francisco and three South American countries from July 24 to August 3.

During a briefing on July 22, National Security Office Director Wi Seong-rak outlined the president's itinerary, which includes visits to San Francisco, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina, before returning via Frankfurt, Germany.

On the first day of the trip, July 24 (local time), President Yoon will kick off his official schedule in San Francisco with meetings with global artificial intelligence (AI) leaders and Silicon Valley venture capitalists.

On the morning of the first day, he will meet sequentially with Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic; Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI; Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA; and Hock Tan, President and CEO of Broadcom.

Following these meetings, the 'San Francisco AI Summit' will take place, featuring over 150 participants, including domestic business leaders such as Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics; Choi Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group; Chung Eui-sun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group; and Lee Hae-jin, Chairman of Naver, along with CEOs from global tech companies, AI firms, researchers, startups, and investors.

At this event, agreements between domestic companies and big tech firms will be signed, and President Yoon will announce the 'San Francisco AI Declaration' and participate in discussions.

Later, a dinner hosted by the president will bring together representatives from domestic and big tech companies.

On July 25, the second day of the trip, President Yoon will attend a 'Silicon Valley Venture Capital Meetup' in the afternoon, meeting with representatives from six top venture capital firms, including Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst, Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and New Enterprise Associates.

Following a signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the National Pension Service and these VCs, a roundtable discussion on Korea-U.S. venture ecosystem cooperation will be held.

Kim Yong-beom, head of the policy office, stated during the briefing that the meetings with global big tech CEOs aim to emphasize South Korea's commitment to substantial AI investment and global collaboration, seeking tangible outcomes such as investment and cooperation from key companies in the global AI supply chain.

Regarding the AI summit, he noted, "This event signifies the beginning of expanding and concretizing the vision of South Korea's three major mega projects for AI innovation, bringing together domestic conglomerates and global tech giants. Through these efforts, we aim to highlight South Korea's irreplaceable status in the global AI ecosystem and express our commitment to AI collaboration with big tech companies."

Kim also commented on the Silicon Valley venture capital meetup, stating, "By establishing a long-term partnership through the MOU between the National Pension Service and top global venture capital firms, we will strengthen the connection between the Korea-U.S. innovation ecosystems and expand opportunities for attracting overseas investment in promising K-startups, laying the groundwork for their growth into global big tech companies."

On July 26, President Yoon will make a state visit to Brazil, starting with a welcome reception hosted by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva upon his arrival in Brasília.

The following day, July 27, will include an official welcome ceremony, a summit meeting at the Palácio da Alvorada, an MOU signing ceremony, a joint press conference, and a state luncheon. Afterward, he will travel to São Paulo for a luncheon meeting with the Korean community and a 'Korea-Brazil Business Roundtable' on July 28.

On July 29, President Yoon will begin his official visit to Chile with a dinner meeting with the Korean community. On July 30, he will lay a wreath at the statue of national hero Bernardo O'Higgins, followed by an official welcome ceremony at the Palacio de La Moneda, a summit meeting, an MOU signing ceremony, a joint press conference, and an official luncheon, concluding with a 'Korea-Chile Business Roundtable' in the afternoon.

That night, he will arrive in Buenos Aires to commence his official visit to Argentina. On July 31, he will honor the national hero at Plaza San Martín, followed by an official welcome event at the Casa Rosada and a summit meeting with President Javier Milei, concluding the South American tour with a dinner meeting with the Korean community.

Director Wi emphasized the economic significance of the South American tour, stating, "Brazil, Chile, and Argentina represent a massive market with a combined population of 280 million and a GDP of $3.7 trillion, ranking fourth in the world. During the summit meetings with Brazil and Argentina, which lead Mercosur, we will discuss the resumption of negotiations for the Korea-Mercosur trade agreement, and we will also discuss the modernization of the FTA with Chile, our first FTA partner."

He added, "Brazil, the largest arms market in Latin America, Argentina, which ranks third in global media coverage of the Korean Wave, and Chile, with promising infrastructure markets, present significant potential for market development across various sectors, and we will expand practical cooperation between our governments."

Wi noted, "Brazil, the fifth largest country by area and seventh by population, plays a leading role in the regional order of South America and demonstrates active leadership in international organizations such as the UN and G20. This South American tour will solidify our cooperation on the international stage with these countries."

He also highlighted Brazil's status as the second largest holder of rare earth minerals, the world's top exporter of coffee, sugar, and chicken, Chile's leading position in copper and lithium reserves, and Argentina's second largest shale gas reserves and top exporter of soybean oil, stating, "Through this visit, we aim to strengthen strategic partnerships related to critical mineral supply chains and deepen discussions on diversifying sources of food and energy imports."