Lee calls for new partnerships at G7

President Lee Jae-myung attended the Group of Seven summit in France on Tuesday, marking the final stop of his European trip. It was his second consecutive appearance at the gathering as the leader of an invited country, following his participation in last year's summit in Canada shortly after taking office.

Upon arriving in Evian, Lee joined French President Emmanuel Macron and other invited leaders for a group photo before attending the summit's opening session, "Building New Partnerships and Restoring International Solidarity." With international development assistance facing increasing constraints, the session focused on strengthening development cooperation. Lee called for a new model of partnership between donor and recipient nations and stressed the need to help developing countries use public resources to attract private investment and strengthen economic self-sufficiency. He also outlined his government's vision for artificial intelligence, including plans for a global AI basic society and global AI hubs, aimed at ensuring that technological disparities do not deepen economic inequality.

The South Korean government has also sought to arrange bilateral meetings between Lee and the leaders of Canada, Brazil, India and Kenya during the summit. A meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, in particular, could offer Seoul an opportunity to build support ahead of Canada's final decision on its submarine acquisition program.

With the signing of a U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war expected this week, U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to urge greater international cooperation in reopening the Strait of Hormuz. A formal South Korea-U.S. summit is considered unlikely because of Trump's packed schedule. However, observers say the possibility remains for a pull-aside meeting, an informal exchange between the two leaders on the sidelines of the summit.


Hoon-Sang Park tigermask@donga.com