“First year of leap in Korea-Brazil strategic partnership this year”
MOU signed for 140 minutes in Brasilia for small acquisitions and expansion talks
Strengthening cooperation in supply chains, and promoting Mercosur trade cooperation
“Visit the office of the Korean Metal Workers’ Union where Lula worked”
사진 확대 Lee Jae Myung’s President and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula Dásouva are making finger hearts for reporters after a joint press conference at the presidential residence in Brasilia on the 27th (local time). Yonhap News Agency
President Lee Jae Myung, who is on a state visit to Brazil, held a summit with President Luiz Inácio Lula Dásouva at the presidential palace in Brasilia on the 27th (local time) and agreed to strengthen strategic cooperation in the resource and energy sectors.
The leaders of the two countries declared this year as the first year of the “Korea-Brazil Strategic Partnership” leap at the 140-minute small acquisition and expansion summit from 11:08 a.m. to 1:28 p.m. and signed seven memorandums of understanding (MOUs), including energy, industrial technology, space, and culture.
In a joint press release after the meeting, President Lee said, “Through today’s meeting, President Lula and I declared 2026 as the first year of the ‘Korea-Brazil Strategic Partnership’ leap forward and adopted a joint statement following the ‘Four-Year Action Plan’ in February, further embodying the future vision of bilateral cooperation.”
The two leaders have addressed supply chain cooperation in key minerals and energy sectors as their top priority.
“As everyone knows, Brazil is a world-class mineral power,” President Lee said. “At this meeting, President Lula and I agreed on the need to expand cooperation in the entire cycle of key mineral supply chains between companies and institutions.” “In the future, through follow-up consultations between related organizations, we will further strengthen reciprocal cooperation based on the strengths of the two countries and establish a stable base for supply and demand of raw materials for our companies together,” he added.
Cooperation measures in the defense and high-tech industries have also been materialized. The two countries agreed to launch a joint defense committee in the second half of this year and will push for the signing of an agreement on the protection and exchange of secret military and defense information.
President Lee said, “In particular, it is a symbolic example of bilateral defense cooperation that our companies’ parts are mounted on Brazil’s C-390 transport plane, which will be introduced by the Republic of Korea Air Force in the second half of the year.”
In the field of trade, they agreed on the need to promote a trade agreement between Korea and Mercosur (South American joint market). President Lee explained, “It will be an important foundation for the two countries to become true strategic partners by expanding the horizon of cooperation beyond trade to various fields such as high-tech industries, supply chains, and digital and green economies.”
During the summit, President Lula invited, “The two countries will have an opportunity to jointly launch new projectiles at the Alcantara launch base in September, and I hope the president will attend it in person,” and President Lee replied, “I hope I can come here and see it in person,” and “If it’s difficult, I’ll check it in person.”
The language of friendship between the two leaders, with similar growth backgrounds and political trajectories, also continued. “Both the president and I have a very difficult environment to grow up in,” Lula said. “That’s why we know the importance of each person, every student, and every worker.”
President Lee said, “I plan to visit the office of the metal union where the president worked as a young man in Sao Paulo tomorrow,” adding, “I will think again about President Lula’s dream of not forgetting the reality of workers and trying to make everyone live a better life there.”
Consultations on security and peace policies on the Korean Peninsula were also addressed. President Lee said, “I once again explained to the President our government’s firm philosophy that making peace that does not need to be fought is the most certain and reliable security rather than the security that fights and wins. I would like to thank the President and the Brazilian government once again for their firm support for our government’s efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and establish permanent peace at today’s meeting.”
After the meeting, the two leaders signed a guest book and watched a chorus performance, shared a hug and took a photo with a finger heart pose. President Lee wrote in the guest book, “I hope that we will open the future of permanent friendship and common prosperity between Korea and Brazil together.”
Journalist Oh Soo-hyun, Brasilia