NEW YORK — President Lee Jae-myung arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on the 21st, opening a trip to the United States and Mexico that coincides with the U.N. General Assembly. Beginning with his second day, Lee plans to use a keynote address at the General Assembly to lay out directions for U.N. reform aimed at solving global problems and to outline the Korean government's contributions, while also explaining a blueprint for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula. He will then travel to Mexico for the first state visit by a Korean president in 16 years, where he intends to focus on strengthening cooperation in energy and mineral supply chains.
Ambassador to the United States Kang Kyung-wha, Ambassador to the United Nations Cha Ji-hoon and his spouse, and Consul General in New York Kim Sang-ho were at the airport to greet Lee and the first lady.
Attending the General Assembly, the world's largest multilateral diplomatic forum, for a second consecutive year, Lee will begin his itinerary with the keynote speech on the 22nd. Attention is focused on whether he will present a blueprint for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula that develops and gives concrete shape to the E.N.D. Initiative he set out last year, which signaled South Korea's return to the international community.
Of particular interest is whether a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump will take place. National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said separate contacts in various formats are planned with the leaders of major countries including the United States and Australia, adding that the aim is to continue close exchanges among leaders and discuss cooperation to expand South Korea's national interests. If such a meeting occurs, attention will turn to what is said about investment talks with the United States, the question of sending troops to the Strait of Hormuz, and Korean Peninsula issues such as U.S.-North Korea dialogue.
On the 23rd, Lee will attend the Invest Korea Summit 2026, which brings together figures from the business and financial sectors of South Korea and the United States, to promote the country's artificial intelligence policy and vision and its capital market reforms to global investors, before departing for Mexico. On the 24th, he is scheduled to hold one-on-one and expanded talks with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, followed by an exchange of memorandums of understanding and a luncheon with a joint press announcement.
