President Lee Jae Myung wrapped up the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Sunday, concluding his multilateral diplomacy for the year. He departed for Turkey, the final stop of his four-nation tour to the Middle East and Africa. During the meetings, he emphasized revitalizing the WTO, addressing climate change, and ensuring equitable access to AI technologies.
President Lee Jae Myung wrapped up his three-day visit to South Africa for the G20 summit in Johannesburg on Sunday, departing for Turkey as the final leg of his four-nation tour to the Middle East and Africa. This marked the conclusion of his multilateral diplomatic schedule for the year, following attendance at the G7 summit in Canada, the U.N. General Assembly in New York, and South Korea's hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
Lee arrived in Johannesburg on Friday after stops in the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, participating in all three G20 sessions over the weekend. In the third session, he pledged that South Korea would host the 2028 G20 summit "with a profound sense of responsibility" to bolster its role in global economic cooperation, as the country assumes the presidency after the United States in 2026 and Britain in 2027.
Under the summit's theme "A Fair and Just Future for All," Lee stressed building a stable and mutually beneficial supply chain for critical minerals amid uncertainties from U.S.-China trade tensions over rare earths. "We must establish a stable and mutually beneficial supply chain for critical minerals, where mineral-rich and mineral-importing countries share the benefits," he said. He welcomed the G20's adoption of the Critical Minerals Framework, highlighting South Korea's chairmanship of the Minerals Security Partnership and its launch of the Korea-Africa Critical Minerals Cooperation Initiative.
On artificial intelligence, Lee called for global frameworks ensuring broader and more equitable access. "The advancement of AI must provide fair opportunities for all nations and all peoples," he stated, committing to advance South Korea's vision for inclusive AI. As APEC chair this year, he led the adoption of an AI initiative and introduced programs to enhance digital capabilities for women and youth in Africa.
In earlier sessions, Lee committed to promoting inclusive economic growth, revitalizing the World Trade Organization's multilateral trading system, and addressing climate change and the global food crisis. "Considering this year's gathering marks the first G20 summit held in Africa, President Lee demonstrated his commitment to solidarity and cooperation with Africa," third deputy national security adviser Oh Hyun-joo said in a briefing. "He also stressed the need to revive the World Trade Organization's multilateral trade system."
On the sidelines, Lee held bilateral and multilateral talks with leaders from France, Germany, India, and Brazil, and joined a MIKTA session—a middle-power grouping of Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey, and Australia. Consultations occurred among South Korea, China, and Japan for their first trilateral summit since May 2024, but timing remains uncertain due to a diplomatic row between Tokyo and Beijing over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent remarks on Taiwan.
Later, Lee met with Korean residents in South Africa before heading to Ankara for summit talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, focusing on defense and nuclear energy industries. His attendance broadened South Korea's pragmatic diplomacy centered on national interests toward the Global South, encompassing developing economies in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.