President Lee Jae-myung met Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Kanada Ski Resort on the 17th (local time) to discuss expanding economic cooperation, the Presidential Office announced. This marked the first standalone summit between Korea and Brazil in 10 years since former President Park Geun-hye met then-Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff during her visit to four Latin American countries in 2015.

President Lee Jae-myung wraps his arm around Brazilian President Lula while exiting after the group photo taken at the G7 summit venue in Canmore, Alberta, Canada on the 17th (local time). /Courtesy of Yonhap News Agency

◇Lee and Lula share experiences of suffering as child laborers

On the same day, President Lee expressed gratitude for Lula's congratulatory message on his inauguration and noted that under Lula's leadership, Brazil is enhancing its status as a key country in the Global South, emphasizing the commitment to expand economic cooperation with Brazil, Korea's largest trading and investment partner in South America.

The two leaders reaffirmed the need for cooperation on global issues such as climate change and agreed to expand collaboration on the international stage. The Presidential Office reported that they also aimed to further develop their comprehensive cooperative partnership based on a common governance philosophy that values unity and 'pragmatism.'

The Korean and Brazilian leaders share a common background as former child laborers. President Lee sustained an injury to his left arm during an accident with a press machine while working in a factory as a teenager. President Lula was born to a family of poor farmers and dropped out of elementary school at age 12 to work in a dye factory. At 19, he lost his left pinky finger in an accident at a metal factory. Presidential Office Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung stated, 'When President Lee recounted his injury story from his youth, President Lula showed deep interest, asking how old he was at the time.'

◇Commitment to cooperation on key technologies, defense, and military industry with India

President Lee held a summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, agreeing to expand strategic cooperation in high-level communication, key technologies, defense, and military industry.

On the morning of the same day, President Lee met with Prime Minister Modi in Kanada Ski Resort and expressed condolences to the victims, bereaved families, and the Indian people regarding the aviation accident that occurred on the 12th in Ahmedabad, India. He stated, 'As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the 'special strategic partnership' between our countries, I hope to elevate our bilateral relations to a new level.'

President Lee also remarked, 'I am pleased to see over 550 of our corporations investing and entering India, contributing to the growth of India's manufacturing sector and boosting domestic demand and exports,' adding, 'I look forward to revitalizing high-level communication and expanding mutually beneficial economic cooperation, strategic cooperation in key technologies, defense, and military industry, as well as cultural cooperation to advance the relations between our countries to a new level.'

In response, Prime Minister Modi expressed appreciation for President Lee's condolences, stating, 'I hope we can further expand our close cooperation between our countries.' He further expressed hope that President Lee would visit India soon, to which President Lee expressed gratitude for the invitation. The two leaders agreed on the importance of human and cultural exchanges and decided to continue developing these exchanges in the future.

◇Brief meeting with the UN Secretary-General

Meanwhile, President Lee also met with António Guterres, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, after his meeting with Brazil. In their brief meeting, President Lee expressed gratitude for Secretary-General Guterres' congratulations on his inauguration and stated, 'It is important for the international community, centered around the UN, to unite in this era of complex crises,' adding, 'Our government will continue to provide the necessary support and play a role to contribute to the UN's efforts for international peace and prosperity.'

In response, Secretary-General Guterres stated, 'Korea's contributions in areas such as international peace and security, human rights, sustainable development, and climate change are significant,' and urged, 'I hope Korea will continue to play a sustained role in addressing the common challenges faced by the international community based on multilateral cooperation.'