[Politics & Diplomacy] President Lee ends diplomatic freeze with first overseas trip

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is currently on his way back home after wrapping up his first overseas trip, attending the G7 Summit in Canada.

To walk us through the key takeaways from his three-day visit, our Presidential Office correspondent Song Yoo-jin joins us in the studio.

Welcome, Yoo-jin.

Great to be here.

Yoo-jin, let's begin with the significance of this trip. There was uncertainty at first over whether President Lee would attend the G7 at all.

That's right, Dami.

The trip came just 12 days after President Lee took office, making this the fastest overseas debut by a South Korean president.

For comparison, it took President Yoon Suk Yeol 49 days, Moon Jae-in 51 days, and Park Geun-hye 70 days.

Despite the tight timeline, President Lee made the decision to attend.

Here's what he told reporters aboard the Air Force One:

South Korea experienced a period of stalled diplomacy after former President Yoon's martial law debacle last December.

It was certainly a meaningful debut. Let's turn to the results.

While he delivered remarks at the G7's expanded session, much attention was on his bilateral meetings.

Let's start with Tuesday's summit with Japan.

That was one of the most anticipated.

A meeting had been scheduled with U.S. President Donald Trump, but that fell through after he returned to Washington early due to what was going on in the Middle East.

However, President Lee did meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, marking their first summit.

"I truly hope that, marking the 60th anniversary of normalized diplomatic ties, exchanges will grow not just between our two governments and businesses, but also between our people. I look forward to Korea and Japan working together in a way that contributes more to the region and to the world."

During the 30-minute meeting, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to regular summit-level meetings while agreeing to strengthen trilateral coordination with the United States, particularly in responding to regional geopolitical challenges, including North Korea.

A senior Presidential Office official told reporters the talks were held in a positive, friendly atmosphere, and both leaders expressed interest in frequent reciprocal visits.

Aside from Japan, President Lee also met with several other world leaders on Tuesday.

That's right.

He held one-on-ones with six other heads of state, plus UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

Among the G7 members, he met with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

"The leaders of South Korea and the UK agreed to move forward on updating their post-Brexit FTA. They also discussed working together on Korean Peninsula peace and security."

In his summit with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Lee emphasized defense cooperation, mentioning the participation of Korean companies in Canada's submarine acquisition program, with contracts expected to be finalized by 2028.

He also held summits with the leaders of Brazil, Mexico, India, and the European Union, where economic cooperation was high on the agenda.

And President Lee's summit diplomacy began on Monday with other G7 invitees.

That's right.

He kicked off his visit with meetings with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, also focusing on economic and security cooperation.

Throughout his bilateral meetings with a total of nine heads of state, the Presidential Office says President Lee prioritized personal rapport and pragmatic diplomacy.

"President Lee engaged comfortably with all the leaders, drawing on his prior knowledge of their personal backgrounds, political careers, and governing philosophies, while also using his trademark humor to build rapport."

"In virtually every bilateral meeting, there were focused discussions on advancing practical cooperation in areas like trade, investment, supply chains, and energy, aimed at delivering real benefits for the Korean economy and businesses."

It seems like a strong start, but there's still a major task left: meeting with President Trump.

Any updates on when that could happen?

That's the big question.

The canceled summit drew attention, especially with 25 percent reciprocal tariffs set to take effect if Korea fails to reach a deal with the U.S. by July 8th.

According to a senior official, talks are ongoing to arrange a meeting at another multilateral engagement.

One possibility is next week's NATO Summit, but President Lee's attendance hasn't been confirmed.

We'll be watching that closely.

Yoo-jin, thank you for the wrap-up today.

My pleasure.