Lee visits São Paulo metalworkers' union where Lula got his start

President Lee Jae Myung visited the headquarters of the ABC Metalworkers' Union in São Paulo, Brazil, on Tuesday (local time), where Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva built his political career, saying "there is no difference between Brazil and South Korea when it comes to building a world where labor is respected."

Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing that Lee visited the ABC Metalworkers' Union headquarters in São Bernardo do Campo that afternoon.

The stop was not part of the original tour schedule. Lee announced his intention to visit during a joint press statement following his summit with Lula on Tuesday, saying he planned to visit "the metalworkers' union office where our president worked in his youth" while in São Paulo.

Explaining his reasons for the visit, Lee said he wanted to reflect once more on Lula's vision at "the place where our president never forgot the reality of workers and continuously strove to help everyone live a better life." He added that he hoped both leaders would "never lose their identity as workers and continue working together for a better life for more people."

The "ABC" in the union's name refers to three industrial cities in southeastern São Paulo: Santo André, São Bernardo and São Caetano.

Kang said the ABC Metalworkers' Union headquarters "is a symbol of the labor movement in this region, the heart of Brazil's industrialization, and a historic space where democracy and workers' rights were advanced during Brazil's military dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s." She added that it is widely known as the political starting point of Lula, a former metalworker who championed workers' rights as union chairman.

Guided by union chairman Wellington Damasceno, Lee toured the preserved office space used by Lula during his tenure as union chairman from 1975 to 1981, asking about the number of union members, the main industries represented and the total number of unions across Brazil.

When Damasceno pointed to a cabinet containing liquor and glasses, quipping that it was where "everyone used to recharge their energy," Lee burst out laughing and replied, "That's very interesting," Kang said.

Damasceno also asked Lee what work he had done before becoming a lawyer, to which Lee recalled his days as a child laborer, saying, "I made watches."

Shortly after the visit, Lee posted on X, formerly Twitter: "There is no difference between Brazil and South Korea when it comes to building a world where labor is respected."

Kang said the visit "was a meaningful occasion that deepened the bond between the two leaders and strengthened mutual understanding and trust, by visiting a symbolic site where the labor movement — with Lula at its center — played a vital role in Brazil's industrialization and democratization."