President Lee Concludes First European Trip, Attends G7 Summit

GENEVA, June 17 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung headed home Wednesday, wrapping up his first trip to Europe that included his attendance at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Evian-les-Bains, France.

The presidential plane carrying Lee and his entourage took off from Geneva Airport, the main gateway for the G7 summit, en route to Seoul.

The trip, which began last Tuesday, earlier took the South Korean leader to Belgium and Italy, where he sought to enhance his country's relations with the European nations, as well as the European Union.

In Brussels, Lee held summit talks with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, followed by a summit with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, and Antonio Luis Santos da Costa, president of the European Council.

In Italy, Lee held summit talks with Italian President Sergio Mattarella, agreeing to elevate bilateral ties to a special strategic partnership, while also meeting with Pope Leo XIV to confirm the Vatican's support for his peace policy toward North Korea.

On the final leg of his trip in France, Lee attended the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains as the head of an invited country for the second consecutive year.

The trip was aimed largely at broadening South Korea's diplomatic landscape beyond Asia and forging partnerships with Europe in addressing major global challenges.