President Lee Jae Myung concluded his trip to South Africa for the G20 summit and headed to Turkey, which is the last destination in his tour of the Middle East and Africa, lasting four days. His involvement in the G20 summit concluded his year of engaging in multilateral diplomacy, which also included attending the Group of Seven summit in Canada, the UN General Assembly in New York, and Korea's hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
After traveling to the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, Lee arrived in Johannesburg and participated in all three G20 sessions held over the weekend.
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He urged for a revival of the multilateral trading system of the World Trade Organization, enhancing collaborative actions to tackle climate change, and guaranteeing fairer access to artificial intelligence technologies during the meetings.
Lee pledged to host the G20 summit in 2028 with a sense of accountability to enhance Korea's position in advocating for global economic collaboration.
Lee engaged in a variety of one-on-one and group discussions on the periphery, which included conversations with the heads of state of France, Germany, India, and Brazil. He also participated in a meeting of MIKTA - a coalition of middle-power countries including Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Turkey, and Australia.
The G20 summit marked the end of Lee's multilateral diplomatic engagements for the year.
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Reportedly, Korea, China, and Japan have held discussions to plan their first trilateral summit since May 2024. However, the timing of the summit is still uncertain due to a diplomatic dispute between Tokyo and Beijing regarding recent comments made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi about Taiwan.
Lee discussed South Korea's proposal for global collaboration in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) amid a worldwide push towards adopting a new era in computing. The presidential office stated that Lee emphasized the importance of creating a consistent system that allows for more widespread and fair access to the advantages of AI, as well as guaranteeing a secure supply chain for essential minerals.
He also initiated numerous collaborative initiatives with the goal of improving digital skills in Africa. During the recent Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, he encouraged member economies to see the fast changes caused by AI as chances to promote inclusive economic expansion.
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Before, Lee promised that South Korea would play an active part in encouraging inclusive economic growth and rejuvenating the World Trade Organization, as well as addressing issues like climate change and the global food crisis.