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 the United States and three South American countries from July 24 to August 3.

National Security Office Director Wi Seong-rak announced on July 22 during a briefing at the Blue House that President Yoon will visit San Francisco, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina before returning via Frankfurt, Germany.

On the first day of his trip, July 24 (local time), President Yoon will begin 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.

The 'San Francisco AI Summit' will follow, 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.

During this event, memorandums of understanding (MOUs) will be signed between domestic companies and big tech firms, and President Yoon will announce the 'San Francisco AI Declaration' and participate in discussions.

Later, President Yoon will host a dinner with representatives from domestic and big tech companies.

On July 25, the second day of his trip, he will attend a 'Silicon Valley Venture Investment 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 the signing of an MOU between the National Pension Service and these VCs, a roundtable discussion will focus on cooperation in the Korea-U.S. venture ecosystem.

Policy Chief Kim Yong-beom 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 in 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 mega projects for a great leap forward, bringing together domestic conglomerates leading AI innovation and global big tech companies." He added that these efforts will highlight South Korea's irreplaceable status in the global AI ecosystem and express the intent for AI cooperation between South Korea and big tech firms.

Kim also mentioned that the Silicon Valley venture investment meetup aims to establish a long-term partnership for strategic collaboration between the Korea-U.S. innovation ecosystems through the MOU with top global venture capital firms, enhancing connections between the two countries' venture ecosystems and expanding opportunities for attracting overseas investment in promising K-startups.

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 in Brasília.

On July 27, following an official welcome ceremony, he will hold a summit at the Palácio da Alvorada, sign MOUs, hold a joint press conference, and enjoy a state luncheon. He will then travel to São Paulo for a luncheon with expatriates and a 'Korea-Brazil Business Roundtable' on July 28.

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

That night, he will arrive in Buenos Aires to start his official visit to Argentina. On July 31, he will lay a wreath at Plaza San Martín to honor independence heroes, followed by an official welcome event at the Casa Rosada and a summit with President Javier Milei, concluding with a dinner for expatriates to wrap up his South American tour.

Director Wi highlighted the economic significance of the South American visit, 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." He noted that discussions will focus on resuming negotiations for the Korea-Mercosur trade agreement with Brazil and Argentina, and modernizing the FTA with Chile, South Korea's first FTA partner.

He added, "With Brazil as the largest defense market in Latin America, Argentina ranking third in global media coverage of the Korean Wave, and Chile as a promising infrastructure market, we will enhance practical cooperation between governments to realize market development potential across various sectors."

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

He also noted that Brazil has the second-largest rare earth reserves, is the top exporter of coffee, sugar, and chicken, while Chile leads in copper and lithium reserves, and Argentina ranks second in shale gas reserves and first in soybean oil exports. He stated that the visit aims to strengthen strategic partnerships related to key mineral supply chains and deepen discussions on diversifying food and energy import sources.