President Lee to Urge Support for Inter-Korean, US-DPRK Talks During Philippines, China Trip
President Lee Jae-myung will visit Manila, the Philippines, and Shenzhen, China, from the 16th to the 19th on a four-day, three-night trip to attend the ASEAN-related summits and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, where he plans to ask regional leaders to support the resumption of inter-Korean and US–North Korea dialogue.
Wi Sung-lac, director of the National Security Office, said at a briefing at the presidential office on the 12th that President Lee will attend the ASEAN–South Korea summit in Manila on the 16th and share key progress on the 'Vision for a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between South Korea and ASEAN' he proposed last year. At the subsequent Mekong–South Korea summit, the leaders will discuss ways to deepen cooperation on the supply chains of critical minerals, which are scarce resources, and on responding to transnational crime. Mekong countries refer to the five nations along the Mekong River basin: Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia.
President Lee will attend the ASEAN+3 (South Korea, China, Japan) summit on the morning of the 17th to present the future direction of cooperation for the grouping ahead of its 30th anniversary next year and lead discussions on responding to food and energy crises. That afternoon, he will attend the East Asia Summit (EAS) for the first time since taking office, conveying the government's position on regional issues such as online scams and his vision for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula.
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have also said they intend to attend the APEC summit. The presidential office plans to use the occasion to ask regional leaders for their support and constructive contributions toward the resumption of inter-Korean and US–North Korea dialogue and the establishment of lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
"Through various forms of side meetings with leaders of major countries at the ASEAN-related summits, a hub of regional cooperation, and the APEC summit, the premier multilateral stage in the Asia-Pacific, we will build mutual trust and further solidify substantive cooperation," Wi said. He emphasized, "We will lead discussions on solutions to shared regional challenges such as energy supply chains, transnational crime, and food security, while highlighting South Korea's contributions," adding, "We will also call for measures to address Middle East–driven energy supply chain shocks and for cooperation to restore the multilateral trading order."
