President Lee Jae-myung, having wrapped up his visit to San Francisco, began a sequential tour of three South American nations—Brazil, Chile, and Argentina—starting the 25th local time. Lee said "relations between Korea and South America are entering a new phase," presenting trade negotiations with the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) and negotiations to improve the Korea-Chile Free Trade Agreement (FTA) as key tasks.
In a written interview with EFE, a Spanish-language news agency serving South America that was released the same day, Lee said, "Cooperation between the two sides should not merely be a relationship exchanging natural resources for manufactured products, but one that creates value together through innovation, investment, technology, and talent." The interview was conducted to inform citizens of South American nations about the purpose of Lee's visit in Spanish.
He continued, "Mercosur member states are global leaders in agriculture, food production, energy, and critical minerals, while Korea is a global leader in advanced manufacturing, digital technology, shipbuilding, batteries, and innovation," stressing that "combining these strengths would allow us to build resilient value chains that benefit both regions." In particular, he said, "With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced manufacturing, the strategic importance of South America's critical minerals sector is growing ever greater," expressing an active willingness to cooperate on supply chains. He also cited the modernization of overall economic-structure cooperation, including modernizing the Korea-Chile FTA—Korea's first FTA—as a core task.
Meanwhile, Lee will arrive in Brazil's capital, Brasilia, on the 26th and attend a welcome reception hosted by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his wife. The following day, the 27th, he will hold a summit with President Lula before moving to Sao Paulo to attend a business roundtable event on the 28th aimed at promoting cooperation between businesspeople of the two countries.
On the 30th he will hold a summit with the Chilean leader, and on the 31st with the Argentine leader, before returning home via Frankfurt, Germany. On X, formerly Twitter, Lee said, "Brazil, Chile, and Argentina are key nations that have led South American politics, economy, and culture," adding, "This tour will be a meaningful journey to broaden the horizon of the Republic of Korea's pragmatic diplomacy into South America and to further strengthen economic cooperation that will serve as a foundation for future growth."
