South Korean President Lee Jae Myung Attends G7 Summit, Meets Trump Briefly

By Park Boram

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France, June 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung attended the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on Tuesday and had a brief encounter with U.S. President Donald Trump during a photo session.

Emmanuel Macron, president of host France, welcomed Lee to the summit venue. The South Korean president responded, "I am so happy," after Macron asked, "How are you?"

During a subsequent group photo session for leaders of participating countries, Lee had a brief encounter with Trump for about 30 seconds, a livestream of the event showed.

Lee and Trump were seen eagerly speaking to each other through who appeared to be an interpreter.

Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung later said in a briefing that Trump asked Lee about the latest developments in inter-Korean ties during the conversation.

Lee asked Trump to spearhead a peaceful resolution of North Korean issues, as he did with the war in the Middle East, to which the U.S. president responded by expressing his intention to work toward such a resolution, according to the spokesperson.

This year marks the second consecutive year South Korea has been invited to the G7 summit as a partner country. The G7 consists of France, Germany, the U.S., Canada, Italy, Japan and Britain.

France has invited non-G7 nations, including Brazil, Egypt, India and Kenya, to help shape coordinated responses to global challenges, such as the wars in Ukraine and Iran, global financial instability and risks associated with artificial intelligence (AI).

"Being invited to the G7 Summit for the second consecutive year is a deeply meaningful testament to the trust and expectations that the international community places in the Republic of Korea," Lee wrote on social platform X ahead of the summit, referring to South Korea by its official name.

"I will engage in in-depth discussions with the leaders of the G7 members and invited countries on the defining issues of our time, including international partnerships and solidarity, more balanced economic growth, and the future of AI and emerging technologies," he added.

Lee later joined the G7 summit's first expanded session, aimed at addressing the decline in international development aid flows under the theme of "forging new partnerships and rebuilding international solidarity."

Lee, in particular, shed light on the difficulties many developing countries face in accessing artificial intelligence (AI) technology, while calling for forging partnerships between donor countries and recipients to address such disparities, according to the South Korean presidential office.

The South Korean president stressed the importance of sharing the benefits of advances in AI technology among all countries so that they can grow together and technological disparities do not lead to widening economic disparities.

This year's G7 summit is expected to address a range of other issues, including the wars in Ukraine and Iran, global financial instability and the emergence of AI.

"Building on the strength of the Republic of Korea made possible by our great people, I will firmly safeguard our national interests and faithfully fulfill our responsible role in contributing to global peace and prosperity," Lee said in his X post.

Lee will attend G7 summit sessions again on Wednesday before heading home, wrapping up his 10-day Europe trip.

On the sidelines of the summit, Lee also held bilateral talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to discuss ways to deepen bilateral ties.

Whether Lee would hold a formal meeting with Trump remained uncertain.

A presidential official said the office is leaving the door open for the possibility of a Lee-Trump meeting, but no concrete progress had been made in arranging one.