▲ President Lee Jae Myung (R) and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pose for a photo ahead of their summit talks at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Feb. 23, 2026. (Yonhap)
▲ President Lee Jae Myung (R) speaks during an expanded summit meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Feb. 23, 2026. (Yonhap)
▲ President Lee Jae Myung (L) and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva review an honor guard during a welcome ceremony for Lula held at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Feb. 23, 2026. (Yonhap)

(2nd LD) Lee-Brazil-summit

(2nd LD) Lee, Brazil's Lula agree to elevate bilateral ties to strategic partnership

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout, photos; CHANGES headline)

By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, Feb. 23 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva agreed to elevate bilateral ties during their summit Monday and expand bilateral cooperation in the economy, space, the defense industry, critical minerals and other areas.

During the summit, Lee said the two leaders agreed to elevate the bilateral relations to a strategic partnership and welcomed the adoption of a four-year action plan to boost politics, the economy, practical cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

"The two countries have achieved substantive cooperation in trade and investment, space and the defense industry. As we have decided today to elevate our relations to a strategic partnership, we will further expand the horizon of economic cooperation," Lee said in his opening remarks.

"In particular, we will broaden bilateral cooperation across a wide range of areas, including critical minerals, the environment, the space industry, culture, and small and medium-sized enterprises," he added.

During the talks, Lula highlighted Brazil's abundant natural resources and expressed hope of attracting Korean investment in critical minerals and expanding industrial cooperation in semiconductors, aerospace and the defense industry.

The Brazilian president also said the two nations need to discuss the green industry and energy transition, calling for South Korea's participation in a global fund to preserve tropical rainforests that Brazil launched last year.

Monday's meeting served as an opportunity to cement the personal rapport the two leaders built during their previous in-person meetings on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Canada in June last year and the Group of 20 summit in South Africa in November.

Ahead of the summit, Lee wrote on the social media platform X that he and Lula share experiences as former child laborers and said he looked forward to meeting him soon, calling the Brazilian president his "eternal comrade."

In their first meeting in three months, Lee warmly embraced Lula upon his arrival at Cheong Wa Dae and welcomed his state visit to South Korea — the first in 21 years — with a traditional ceremony.

Later in the day, Lee and first lady Kim Hea Kyung will host a state dinner for Lula and his wife, Rosangela Lula da Silva.

Afterward, the presidential couples will have chicken and beer at a traditional Korean house inside the Cheong Wa Dae compound. During the private event, Lula will recite a poem by Carlos Drummond de Andrade, a beloved Brazilian poet, according to Lee's office.

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