South Korean President Lee Jae-myung will pay state visits to Singapore and the Philippines next week for summit talks aimed at expanding cooperation with these Southeast Asian nations. In Singapore, he will hold talks with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, and in the Philippines, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Cheong Wa Dae anticipates strengthened ties in trade, infrastructure, and sectors like AI.
Cheong Wa Dae announced on February 27 that President Lee Jae-myung will pay state visits to Singapore and the Philippines next week. Lee will depart for Singapore on Sunday, March 1, for a three-day stay, holding summit talks with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and meeting ceremonial President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Monday. This marks their second summit since their first meeting in early November during Wong's visit to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, when the two nations upgraded relations to a strategic partnership.
Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung stated in a written briefing, "In light of Lee's visit to Singapore, the two nations are expected to strengthen cooperation in trade, investment and infrastructure, and broaden the collaboration in promising sectors, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and nuclear power." She noted that Lee will attend a business forum to engage with AI industry leaders.
On Tuesday, March 3, Lee will travel to Manila for a summit with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. the same day, also attending a business forum. This is Lee's second summit with Marcos following their meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Gyeongju in late October. Kang said, "In light of Lee's visit to the Philippines, the two nations will deepen practical cooperation in the defense industry, infrastructure and trade, and solidify the foundation for collaboration in promising sectors, including nuclear power, shipbuilding, critical minerals and AI."
Cheong Wa Dae hopes the trip will promote coordination with key Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members on the international stage and pave the way for deeper ties with the regional bloc. President Lee and first lady Kim Hae-kyung were seen waving before departing from Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on January 13.
