Lee leaves US for South America, to visit Brazil, Chile and Argentina

President Lee Jae Myung boarded Air Force One bound for Brazil on Saturday (local time), concluding his visit to San Francisco.

Lee and first lady Kim Hye-kyung wrapped up their one-night, two-day US schedule and departed for Brasilia.

At San Francisco International Airport, the couple was seen off by Penny Coulter, chief of protocol for the city of San Francisco, and Mike Nakornkhet, director of San Francisco International Airport, on the American side, and by Kang Kyung-wha, South Korea's ambassador to the United States, Lim Jeong-taek, consul general in San Francisco, and his wife, Kim Han-il, president of the Korean American Association of the San Francisco Bay Area, and Oh Mi-ja, chair of the San Francisco chapter of the Overseas Koreans' Consultative Council, on the Korean side.

Lee wore a black suit and a red, blue and white tie — one he frequently wears as a symbol of national unity. Kim wore a white two-piece outfit with white shoes. Lee then shook hands and exchanged words with the well-wishers, starting with Coulter.

Lee then climbed the steps of Air Force One. He is set to begin a state visit to Brazil on Sunday (local time) at the invitation of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Upon arriving in Brasilia on Sunday afternoon, Lee will kick off his official schedule with a welcome reception hosted by President Lula and his wife. The following morning, Monday, he will attend an official welcoming ceremony before heading to the Alvorada Palace, the presidential residence, for a summit, an MOU signing ceremony, a joint press statement and a state luncheon.

Lee will then travel to São Paulo, where he is scheduled to hold a luncheon meeting with the Korean diaspora community and host a business roundtable on Tuesday.

Earlier, from Friday through Saturday, Lee worked to advance global cooperation with major Silicon Valley tech companies during his San Francisco stop. He attended the San Francisco AI Summit, where he announced an "AI Declaration" and met with CEOs of major US tech firms to discuss strengthening ties. The following day, he joined a Silicon Valley venture investment meetup, calling on top-tier global venture capital firms active in the region to deepen cooperation with South Korea. The visit aimed to lay the groundwork to connect the South Korean and US venture investment ecosystems and attract greater investment into Korean startups.