President Lee Concludes G20 Summit Visit in South Africa
President Lee Jae Myung concluded a three-day visit too Johannesburg, South Africa, on Sunday, participating in the Group of 20 summit before continuing his tour to Turkey. This visit marked the end of President Lee’s extensive multilateral diplomatic engagements for the year, which also included the G7 summit in Canada, the UN General Assembly in New York, and the APEC summit hosted by South Korea.
President Lee arrived in Johannesburg on Friday following visits to the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, and actively participated in all three G20 sessions held over the weekend. During the summit, he advocated for a stronger World Trade Institution, increased global cooperation on climate change, and equitable access to artificial intelligence technologies.
Looking ahead to South Korea’s 2028 G20 presidency, President Lee pledged to host a summit focused on strengthening the organization’s role in fostering global economic collaboration.
Beyond the main sessions,President Lee engaged in bilateral and multilateral discussions with leaders from France,Germany,India,and Brazil. He also participated in a meeting of MIKTA – a grouping of middle powers including Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey, and Australia.
The G20 summit effectively concluded President Lee’s packed schedule of multilateral diplomacy for 2023.
Discussions were also reportedly held between South Korea, China, and Japan regarding a potential trilateral summit, the frist since May 2024. Though, the timing of such a meeting remains uncertain due to ongoing diplomatic tensions between Tokyo and Beijing stemming from recent remarks made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi regarding Taiwan.
