▲ President Lee Jae Myung (L) and first lady Kim Hea Kyung offer greetings upon their arrival at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, south of Seoul, on March 4, 2026, after returning from their trip to Singapore and the Philippines. (Yonhap)
▲ President Lee Jae Myung (R) shakes hands with Rep. Jung Chung-rae (3rd from R), leader of the ruling Democratic Party, upon his arrival at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, south of Seoul, on March 4, 2026, after returning from his trip to Singapore and the Philippines. (Yonhap)

Lee-return

Lee returns home from trip to Singapore, Philippines amid Middle East tensions

By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, March 4 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung returned home Wednesday from a four-day trip to Singapore and the Philippines, where he sought to expand economic cooperation with the Southeast Asian nations amid a changing global landscape.

Lee wrapped up his state visits to the two Southeast Asian countries at a time of mounting tensions in the Middle East following joint attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran, which have rattled global financial markets, oil prices and supply chains.

During his talks with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Monday, Lee and Wong agreed to launch negotiations to upgrade the bilateral free trade agreement and bolster cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI) and nuclear energy.

In Manila, Lee and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. held talks on Tuesday and agreed to expand collaboration in nuclear energy, critical minerals, the defense industry and AI.

On Thursday, Lee is scheduled to preside over an extraordinary Cabinet meeting to assess the latest situation in the Middle East with relevant ministries and discuss response measures.

The meeting is expected to explore ways to minimize the conflict's impact on the Korean economy and security while ensuring the safety of Korean nationals in the Middle East.

Financial markets are also likely to be discussed, as the South Korean stock market has tumbled for two consecutive days, and the Korean won fell sharply against the U.S. dollar.

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