President Lee Jae Myung, who is on a state visit to Brazil, has achieved practical results in expand..

사진 확대 President Lee Jae Myung and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula Dásouva are taking a commemorative photo at a cultural performance and welcome reception hosted by Brazil’s president and his wife at the Foreign Ministry in Brasilia on the 27th (local time). [Yonhap News]

President Lee Jae Myung, who is on a state visit to Brazil, has achieved practical results in expanding cooperation in defense, space, and supply chains through summit diplomacy with President Luiz Inacio Lula Dasuba.

The two leaders showed off their friendship with hugs and finger hearts, while discussing the resumption of negotiations on the Mercosur (South American Common Market) trade agreement with key minerals, including rare earths, during the 140-minute talks.

The summit held at the presidential palace in Brasilia, Brazil, on the 27th (local time) was a meeting to reaffirm the trust between the two leaders, starting with the G7 summit last year, followed by a state visit to Korea in February and the G7 summit in France last month.

President Lee held a meeting with President Lula for about 140 minutes at a small acquisition and expansion meeting held immediately after the welcoming ceremony of the state guest.

The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in seven areas, including the space industry, key mineral supply chains such as rare earths, bio, and energy, and agreed to launch a joint defense committee in the second half of the year and promote a military and defense secret information protection agreement.

It also reaffirmed its willingness to expand economic cooperation. In a joint press release, President Lee expressed his willingness to resume negotiations, saying, “The trade agreement between South Korea and Mercosur is a task that cannot be delayed any longer,” and the two countries agreed to strengthen cooperation to stabilize supply chains and expand trade.

사진 확대 a guest book written by the president of Lee Jae Myung [Yonhap News]

The human connection between the two leaders also drew attention at the summit. President Lula, a former factory worker, and Lee, a former juvenile worker, formed a consensus by referring to their childhood experiences of being injured in industrial sites.

“President Lula and I share a special experience,” President Lee said. “Just as the president does not have a finger on his left hand, I injured my left hand while working at a factory as a child.”

“I have a disability because I hurt my left arm, but this is not an obstacle to life or doing things for people in the world,” he said, adding, “It reminds me of a sense of duty to constantly think of more people and allow more people to live better lives.”

President Lee also said, “I will visit the office of the metal workers’ union, where the president worked as a young man in Sao Paulo,” adding that he will personally find the footsteps of President Lula during his labor movement.

After the joint press conference, the two leaders embraced again and took a commemorative photo by making a finger heart at the suggestion of President Lula. President Lee emphasized the willingness to cooperate between the two countries, writing in the guest book, “I hope that we will open the future of permanent friendship and common prosperity between Korea and Brazil together.”

After finishing his Brasilia schedule, President Lee moved to Sao Paulo, Brazil’s largest economic city. In Sao Paulo, he will attend a meeting with his compatriots and a Korea-Brazil business roundtable to continue expanding economic cooperation.