South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will depart on Friday, 25 July 2025, for a wide-ranging five-nation diplomatic tour spanning the United States, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Germany, the presidential office confirmed on Wednesday. The trip is designed to advance South Korea's ambitions in artificial intelligence, expand trade ties with South America, and broaden Seoul's global diplomatic footprint.

San Francisco: AI Diplomacy at the Forefront

Lee's first stop is San Francisco, where he will spend two days meeting the heads of leading global technology companies. Confirmed attendees include OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman and Nvidia chief Jensen Huang, according to presidential chief of staff for policy Kim Yong-beom.

'Through meetings with tech giant CEOs, the president will emphasise South Korea's full commitment to investment in artificial intelligence (AI) and related global cooperation,' Kim said.

A high-level AI summit in San Francisco will bring Altman, Huang, and other tech leaders together with the heads of South Korea's largest conglomerates — Samsung Electronics Co. Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, and Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung. Participants are expected to discuss the Lee administration's 'megaprojects' initiative, which targets a semiconductor production cluster and AI-related infrastructure facilities. A number of agreements between South Korean and global companies are expected to be signed at the event.

President Lee will also issue a 'San Francisco AI Declaration', formally outlining South Korea's vision to become a global AI leader and deepen international cooperation in the sector.

South America: Trade, Investment, and Diplomacy

From Sunday through Wednesday, 30 July, Lee will undertake a state visit to Brazil for a bilateral summit with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He will then travel to Chile and Argentina through 1 August for summit talks with President José Antonio Kast and President Javier Milei, respectively.

National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said the South American leg is expected to expand trade and investment flows between the two regions while further advancing Seoul's diplomatic reach in Latin America. This comes amid growing South Korean interest in the region's critical mineral resources, which are central to semiconductor and EV supply chains.

Germany Leg and Return

Lee will conclude the tour in Frankfurt, Germany, where he will meet with the South Korean diaspora community before returning home on 3 August, according to presidential office officials. The Frankfurt stop, though brief, signals Seoul's intent to maintain close engagement with its European Korean community and reinforce bilateral ties with Germany, South Korea's largest trading partner in Europe.

Strategic Significance

The five-nation itinerary is notable for its breadth — combining technology diplomacy in the US with resource and trade diplomacy in South America and community outreach in Europe. Notably, this is one of the most ambitious early overseas tours by a South Korean president, reflecting Lee's prioritisation of AI-driven economic policy and multilateral engagement from the outset of his administration.