President Lee Jae-myung departed Seoul on November 17 for the G20 summit in Johannesburg, embarking on a four-nation tour to the Middle East and Africa. The trip aims to diversify South Korea's diplomatic ties in the Global South, visiting the UAE, Egypt, South Africa, and Turkey.
President Lee Jae-myung departed Seoul on Monday, November 17, 2025, for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), kicking off a four-nation diplomatic tour centered on the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Johannesburg. The itinerary seeks to bolster South Korea's ties with the Global South amid efforts to diversify partnerships beyond traditional allies.
The trip begins with a three-day state visit to Abu Dhabi, where Lee will hold summit talks with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Discussions will focus on cooperation in the defense industry, artificial intelligence (AI), and other strategic sectors. From there, Lee proceeds to Cairo, Egypt, for a three-day official visit, including talks with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and a speech at Cairo University outlining Seoul's Middle East initiatives.
In Johannesburg, Lee will attend the G20 summit on Saturday and Sunday, pledging South Korea's enhanced role in fostering inclusive, sustainable growth and tackling climate change and global challenges. On the sidelines, he plans meetings with leaders from MIKTA—a middle-power group comprising South Korea, Mexico, Indonesia, Turkey, and Australia.
The tour concludes with a two-day state visit to Ankara for discussions with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on bilateral cooperation, before returning home on November 26. National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac stated on Friday that the visits to the UAE, Egypt, and Turkey are expected to yield tangible outcomes in defense and advanced technologies like AI, aligning with Lee's pragmatic diplomacy. Wi noted this marks Lee's first trip to the Middle East and Africa since taking office in June, laying groundwork for outreach to the Global South—developing economies in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. It follows his June attendance at the Group of 7 summit in Canada and hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in October, capping the year's multilateral engagements.