Lee to embark on weeklong trip to U.S. for UN General Assembly, state visit to Mexico
National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac outlined the Korean leader's itinerary in New York, adding that the president may meet with U.S. President Donald Trump.
President Lee Jae Myung, left, and first lady Kim Hea Kyung depart from Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, on Sept. 21 for a seven-day trip to New York to attend the UN General Assembly and Mexico for a state visit.YONHAP
President Lee Jae Myung will begin a weeklong trip on Monday to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he could have an encounter with U.S. President Donald Trump, before making a state visit to Mexico, the Blue House said.
Lee is scheduled to deliver a keynote address at the General Assembly Tuesday, where he plans to outline ways for Korea to contribute to UN reform aimed at resolving global issues and explain a blueprint for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said in a press briefing at the Blue House in central Seoul Monday.
Lee also plans to hold “engagements in various formats” with leaders from key nations, including the United States and Australia.
“Through these engagements, he aims to maintain close high-level exchanges and discuss cooperative measures to further advance the national interest,” Wi said, indicating that Lee will seek to meet with Trump in some form in New York.
The two leaders held two formal summits last year and have met unofficially on the margins of multilateral events like the Group of 7 and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summits earlier this year.
Trump will arrive in New York Monday to attend the General Assembly, where he is expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings with leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac gives a press briefing on President Lee Jae Myung’s seven-day trip this week to visit New York for the UN General Assembly and Mexico for a state visit at the Blue House in central Seoul on Sept. 21.JOINT PRESS CORPS
Lee is also scheduled to meet with the UN Secretary-General António Guterres to call for the UN's attention and cooperation regarding peace on the Korean Peninsula, Wi said.
On Wednesday, Lee will attend the Korea Investment Summit, a gathering of leaders in the South Korean and U.S. economic and financial sectors where he will promote Seoul’s AI policies and vision and capital market reforms to global investors.
Wi said that the UN General Assembly will be an occasion to “secure support from the UN and the international community for our policy of peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula.”
During his first UN address last year, Lee outlined his vision to usher in a new era of peaceful coexistence and shared growth through comprehensive dialogue with North Korea centered on "exchange," "normalization" and "denuclearization," or the so-called END initiative.
“We will engage in informal interactions with leaders of key nations attending the assembly to discuss substantive cooperation in sectors such as energy, semiconductors and science and technology and to explore ways to advance bilateral relations,” Wi said.
U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the 80th United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City on Sept. 23, 2025.REUTERS/YONHAP
Later on Wednesday, Lee is scheduled to head to Mexico City, where he will hold a summit with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum during his four-day visit.
This marks the first state visit to Mexico by a Korean president in 16 years.
On Thursday, Lee and Sheinbaum will take part in an official welcoming ceremony at the National Palace, summit talks, a signing ceremony for memorandums of understanding, a luncheon meeting and joint press conference.
In the evening, Lee will attend a dinner meeting with the Korean community in Mexico.
On Friday, he will attend a business forum at the World Trade Center in Mexico City and visit the K-Expo venue.
"This visit will strengthen substantive cooperation with Mexico in the areas of trade, investment and supply chains," Wi said. "We will actively discuss ways to cooperate on energy and mineral supply chains with Mexico, a country rich in natural resources such as crude oil.”
He added that the two sides will also lay the groundwork for cooperation in high-tech sectors, including AI and digital technology, the aerospace industry and the defense industry.
Mexico’s aerospace industry ranks 12th in the world and is projected to grow into a $22.7 billion market by 2029.
Wi said that there may be discussions regarding the potential contribution of the Korean defense industry, given Mexico's ongoing military modernization efforts.
He also recalled how the Mexican president invited K-pop stars BTS to the National Palace in May.
“Mexico is the largest K-Pop market in Latin America and the region's top importer of both K-beauty and K-food products,” Wi said, highlighting that Mexico is a "key market for K-content.”
Lee will depart Mexico Saturday and arrive in Seoul Sunday, wrapping the seven-day itinerary.
