김은정
| 2026-02-23 20:50:40
(4th LD) Lee-Brazil-summit
(4th LD) Lee, Brazil's Lula agree to elevate bilateral ties to strategic partnership
(ATTN: UPDATES with details in paras 22-26; ADDS photo)
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 adopted a four-year action plan to boost politics, the economy, practical cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.
"I and President Lula shared the consensus that the two countries should expand mutually beneficial economic cooperation," Lee said in a joint press announcement at Cheong Wa Dae.
Lee said he explained the need to promptly resume negotiations for a trade agreement between South Korea and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) that includes Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia, and Lula shared the consensus that the trade pact is an "urgent task."
South Korea launched free trade talks with the South American trade bloc in 2018 but has made little progress on key market opening issues.
To promote practical cooperation, the two nations signed 10 memorandums of understanding (MOUs) covering trade and investment, science and technology, agriculture, health care, small and medium-sized enterprises, food and security.
Under the agreements, the foreign and industry ministries of the two nations agreed to launch a high-level economic and trade committee to discuss ways to facilitate cooperation in trade and investment, agriculture, energy and artificial intelligence, among other areas.
The two countries' finance ministries also agreed to establish a vice-ministerial economic and financial dialogue to coordinate macroeconomic policy and cooperation at the multilateral level.
Lee said he hopes the agreements will establish a framework for cooperation in industry, health care and agriculture, while expanding collaboration in future industries, including space, the defense industry and aerospace.
Lee pointed to space as one of the promising sectors for cooperation after South Korea's first commercial orbital rocket, the Hanbit-Nano, attempted its first launch at the Alcantara Space Center in northeastern Brazil in December, expressing hope for success on the next try.
He also underscored the need to deepen defense industry cooperation. In 2023, South Korea selected Embraer's C-390 military transport aircraft, with Korean parts makers involved in the program.
"Supply chain cooperation between the two countries in the aviation sector is under way in the form of our parts companies participating in the production of Brazilian transport aircraft," Lee said, adding that he hopes the partnership will expand to other areas, including the joint development of next-generation commercial aircraft.
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.
In addition, the two leaders held discussions on international and regional issues as Lee explained Seoul's efforts to resume dialogue with North Korea and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.
"We shared the view that peace on the Korean Peninsula has far-reaching implications beyond Northeast Asia for global peace," Lee said.
Lee said Lula's inclusive growth initiative aligns with his government's vision of building a sustainable growth model. He also outlined his vision of sharing the benefits of AI and proposed joint research between the two countries on policies that could create synergy between welfare and the economy.
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 hosted a state dinner for Lula and his wife, Rosangela Lula da Silva.
During the dinner, Lee highlighted the similarities between his life trajectory and Lula's, noting that both worked as child laborers.
"Like President Lula, I began my life at a worksite as a teenage factory worker. Although it was a difficult situation for a young boy to endure, my roots as a laborer remain an unwavering source of pride," Lee said.
Lee said he felt from their first meeting that Lula was like a "longtime comrade and friend," given their similar life paths.
In response, Lula struck a similar tone, saying he felt they were like "brothers," having grown up in poor families, begun working at an early age and borne the marks of the hardships they endured as laborers.
Lula lost a finger in an industrial accident during his factory days, while Lee suffered a permanent arm injury while working as a young laborer -- experiences both leaders often cite as shaping their political outlook and commitment to social justice.
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.
(END)
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