President Lee Jae-myung will make state visits to Singapore and the Philippines from March 1 to 4. The visits are part of the Global South diplomatic campaign that has expanded since last year's G20 summit.
Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung announced in a written briefing that President Lee will hold a summit and friendship luncheon with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in Singapore from March 1 to 3. He will also meet with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and attend a state dinner. The president is scheduled to participate in the jointly hosted "AI Connect Summit" to engage with future AI leaders from both countries.
"Singapore is a hub of transportation, logistics, and finance that leads the regional free trade order. Korea and Singapore established a strategic partnership last year on the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations," Kang explained. "This state visit is expected to solidify existing cooperation in trade, investment, and infrastructure while expanding collaboration into promising future sectors such as AI and nuclear energy, befitting the elevated relationship."
From March 3 to 4, President Lee will visit Manila to hold a summit and state dinner with President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. and attend a business forum. "The Philippines is a traditional ally that was the first Southeast Asian country to establish diplomatic ties with Korea and sent the largest contingent among Asian nations to the Korean War," Kang noted.
Notably, March 3, when the Korea-Philippines summit takes place, marks the 77th anniversary of diplomatic relations. "This visit will deepen practical cooperation in defense, infrastructure, and trade," Kang said. "We will also strengthen the foundation for cooperation in promising future areas including nuclear energy, shipbuilding, critical minerals, and AI."
Kang added that bilateral visits to the Philippines, this year's ASEAN chair, and Singapore, next year's chair, will contribute to implementing the CSP Vision announced at last year's Korea-ASEAN summit. The CSP Vision refers to Korea's diplomatic vision for ASEAN: becoming a Contributor helping realize dreams and hopes, a Springboard for growth and innovation, and a Partner for peace and stability.