SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday arrived in Buenos Aires for the final leg of his South American trip, after visiting Brazil and Chile earlier this week.
It marks the first visit to Argentina by a South Korean president since former President Roh Moo-hyun visited the country in 2004.
Lee, who arrived at Ezeiza International Airport late Thursday night with first lady Kim Hye Kyung, is scheduled to hold a summit with Argentine President Javier Milei the following day to discuss ways to deepen bilateral ties and expand practical cooperation in various sectors.
Argentina, the world's fourth-largest holder of lithium reserves, possesses abundant energy and other resources including shale gas and agricultural and livestock products.
The South Korean government seeks to combine Argentina's abundant resources with South Korea's strengths in battery production and advanced manufacturing to establish a supply chain for critical minerals.
Resuming trade negotiations with Mercosur countries is also expected to be one of key topics of their talks. Argentina is a member of the South American trade bloc along with Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Established in 1991, it is similar to a free trade agreement (FTA) but covers a broader range of areas.
After the summit with Milei, Lee will meet with Buenos Aires mayor Jorge Macri to ask for the city government's continued attention and support for the roughly 23,000 South Koreans living there, the second-largest South Korean community in South America after São Paulo, Brazil.
Lee will then attend a dinner meeting with them to hear about their concerns.
After wrapping up his three-day stay in Argentina, Lee will travel to Frankfurt, Germany on Saturday, for a brief stopover to meet with South Korean nationals there before returning home.
It marks the first visit to Argentina by a South Korean president since former President Roh Moo-hyun visited the country in 2004.
Lee, who arrived at Ezeiza International Airport late Thursday night with first lady Kim Hye Kyung, is scheduled to hold a summit with Argentine President Javier Milei the following day to discuss ways to deepen bilateral ties and expand practical cooperation in various sectors.
Argentina, the world's fourth-largest holder of lithium reserves, possesses abundant energy and other resources including shale gas and agricultural and livestock products.
The South Korean government seeks to combine Argentina's abundant resources with South Korea's strengths in battery production and advanced manufacturing to establish a supply chain for critical minerals.
Resuming trade negotiations with Mercosur countries is also expected to be one of key topics of their talks. Argentina is a member of the South American trade bloc along with Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Established in 1991, it is similar to a free trade agreement (FTA) but covers a broader range of areas.
After the summit with Milei, Lee will meet with Buenos Aires mayor Jorge Macri to ask for the city government's continued attention and support for the roughly 23,000 South Koreans living there, the second-largest South Korean community in South America after São Paulo, Brazil.
Lee will then attend a dinner meeting with them to hear about their concerns.
After wrapping up his three-day stay in Argentina, Lee will travel to Frankfurt, Germany on Saturday, for a brief stopover to meet with South Korean nationals there before returning home.
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