Ji Da-gyum
For over a decade, I’ve navigated the complexities of North Korean affairs, security, and foreign policy from both Seoul and Washington, D.C. As the National Desk Political Team Lead, I track the pulse of geopolitics, closely following developments from the Unification Ministry and the Foreign Ministry. My mornings start with Rodong Sinmun—North Korea’s state mouthpiece—before diving into the day’s headlines from Seoul and Washington.
Lee stops to inspect Korea-bound C-390, calls for broader defense cooperation with Brazil President Lee Jae Myung, on a state visit to Brazil, presides over a virtual meeting with senior aides at a hotel in Brasilia on Sunday, local time. (Yonhap) President Lee Jae Myung pledged to strengthen South Korea’s diplomacy with the Global South, calling Latin America essential to broadening the country’s diplomatic horizons amid a rapidly shifting international order.Lee began his first tour of Latin America, which will also take him to Chile and Argentina, by presiding over a virtual meeting with senior secretaries and aides from Brasilia, the first stop on his itinerary, on Sunday.“At a time when the international order is being rapidly reshaped, efforts to diversify our diplomatic networks and engage with countries on multiple levels are essential to the nation’s stable development,” Lee said in his opening remarks.“Latin America, with its vast population and abundant resources, is one of the most important regions for further broadening our diplomatic horizons.”Lee added, “Through this tour of Latin America, we will further strengthen our diplomacy with the Global South and more firmly establish our standing and role as a key global player.”Lee was set to hold summit talks with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday, marking their fifth meeting overall and second formal bilateral summit.The two leaders previously held bilateral talks during Lula’s state visit to South Korea in February. They also met at three multilateral gatherings: the Group of Seven summit in Canada in June 2025, the Group of 20 summit in South Africa in November 2025 and the G7 summit in Evian, France, in June 2026.After arriving in the capital city, Lee inspected a C-390 military transport aircraft at an air base in Brasilia after his welcoming ceremony, instead of immediately leaving in his motorcade as presidents typically do during overseas trips.South Korea selected Embraer’s C-390 in December 2023 under an offset arrangement involving a consortium of South Korean small and medium-sized companies in the production of key components, including the rear fuselage.Lee reviewed 13 South Korean Air Force personnel undergoing aircraft delivery training in Brazil. While inspecting the aircraft, Lee told Brazilian officials, “Let’s build civilian aircraft together in the future.”“This is significant because it marks the beginning of our defense cooperation with Brazil,” he said. “Let’s expand our cooperation going forward.”The aircraft inspected by Lee is the first of three C-390s ordered by South Korea. It is scheduled for delivery in December, with the other two due by the end of 2027.The acquisition marks the first time the South Korean Air Force, which operates 16 C-130-series transport aircraft, including Lockheed Martin’s C-130J, has purchased a Brazilian military aircraft. President Lee Jae Myung inspects a C-390 military transport aircraft purchased from Brazil’s Embraer for the South Korean Air Force at an air base in Brasilia on Sunday during his state visit to Brazil. (Yonhap) Economic and supply chain cooperation will be high on the agenda throughout Lee’s three-nation tour.Brazil, Chile and Argentina together constitute a vast market of 280 million people, which would rank fourth globally, and have a combined GDP of $3.7 trillion, equivalent to the world’s seventh-largest economy, according to Cheong Wa Dae.In summit talks with Brazil and Argentina, the two leading members of South American trade bloc Mercosur, Lee plans to discuss resuming negotiations on a South Korea-Mercosur trade agreement.With Chile, South Korea’s first free trade agreement partner, Lee will discuss modernizing the bilateral FTA, Cheong Wa Dae said.The Korean government expects the talks to sharply expand trade with the three countries and help South Korean companies increase their presence in Latin American markets.The three countries are also rich in critical minerals, energy and food resources. Their location on the opposite side of the globe from South Korea makes them attractive supply chain partners for diversifying risks arising from climate change and geopolitical instability.Brazil holds the world’s second-largest rare-earth reserves and is the largest exporter of coffee, sugar and chicken. Chile has the world’s largest copper and lithium reserves, while Argentina holds the second-largest shale gas reserves and is the largest exporter of soybean oil. President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hea Kyung receive a salute after disembarking from Air Force One at an air base in Brasilia on Sunday during their state visit to Brazil. (Yonhap) Before arriving in Brazil, Lee stopped in San Francisco, where he met with leaders of top US AI and chip companies — including Anthropic, OpenAI, Nvidia and Broadcom — as well as major global venture capital firms that were early backers of companies such as Apple, Nvidia and OpenAI.During Sunday’s virtual meeting, Lee highlighted his Silicon Valley visit, which yielded $950 billion in semiconductor partnerships between Korean and US technology companies.“Having emerged as a key global power, the Republic of Korea now stands at the forefront of the artificial intelligence revolution, which will mark a new turning point in human civilization,” Lee said, using South Korea’s official name.“The San Francisco Declaration on AI is our nation’s declaration of resolve to take a leap forward and become an indispensable leader of the AI era,” he added.Lee unveiled the declaration Friday at an AI summit and outlined a vision of Korea as a hub where AI is built and supplied, rapidly deployed and expanded into new markets, while responsible, human-centered development ensures its benefits are widely shared.“In particular, through massive cooperation in areas including supply and investment, we elevated our partnerships with global technology companies to the level of an AI alliance,” he said.
