President Lee Jae Myung sat down for a summit with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brasilia on Monday (local time), reuniting with his counterpart for the first time in about a month.
Lee arrived at the presidential palace in Brasilia at around 10:30 a.m., escorted by a Brazilian cavalry honor guard.
After stepping out of his vehicle and walking to the plaza in front of the palace, Lee greeted Lula with a warm embrace.
The two leaders last met at the Group of Seven summit held in Évian, France, in June — roughly a month ago.
Their spouses, Kim Hye-kyung and Rosângela da Silva, also exchanged smiles and greetings. The two women had previously bonded during Lula's state visit to South Korea in February, when they spent time together having hanbok — traditional Korean attire — made.
The presidential couples then watched a national anthem performance and a ceremonial parade featuring an honor guard, military band and cavalry unit before entering the palace for the summit. At one point, Lula walked arm in arm with Lee, chatting in a display of warm camaraderie.
The summit is expected to cover supply chain cooperation, including critical minerals such as rare earths — in which Brazil holds the world's second-largest reserves — as well as the resumption of negotiations on a trade agreement between South Korea and Mercosur, the South American trade bloc.
betterj@heraldcorp.com
