Anna Jiwon Park has been covering the politics at The Korea Times since the summer of 2024, when she joined the press pool for the Office of the President in Korea. Prior to that, she spent about five years reporting extensively on financial markets, regulatory authorities and the financial industry. She joined The Korea Times in 2019 after spending eight years as a broadcast journalist at Arirang TV, Korea’s leading global broadcaster, covering politics, defense and culture.
President Lee returns to Korea after 5-day US visit for UN General Assembly
President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hea Kyung disembark from the presidential airplane, which landed at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Yonhap
By Anna J. Park
President Lee Jae Myung returned to Korea Friday evening after a five-day trip to New York, where he attended the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Lee arrived at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, at around 8:30 p.m. aboard the presidential jet, concluding his first attendance at the U.N. since taking office.
During the visit, Lee shared South Korea’s vision of peace and democracy for the Korean Peninsula, while also showcasing leadership in emerging global issues such as artificial intelligence (AI). His visit further served as a platform to promote Korean equities and investment opportunities, and to advance pragmatic diplomacy through economic cooperation and bilateral talks.
President Lee Jae Myung delivers a keynote speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Tuesday (local time). Yonhap
In his inaugural keynote speech at the General Assembly earlier this week, Lee declared South Korea’s “return as a democratic nation” and introduced his administration’s signature North Korea policy, the “END" initiative — focused on exchange, normalization of relations and denuclearization — as a road map for peace on the peninsula.
In a historic first for a Korean leader, Lee also presided over a U.N. Security Council open debate. The meeting, focused on AI and international peace and security, urged the international community to adopt responsible principles for the use of AI, stressing the importance of “AI for all.”
Lee’s itinerary also included a meeting with Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock and Chair of the World Economic Forum, where the Korean government signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in AI and renewable energy infrastructure.
Lee also held a series of bilateral meetings with the leaders of Uzbekistan, the Czech Republic, Italy and Poland, reaching agreements to deepen collaboration in nuclear energy, defense, critical minerals and infrastructure development.
The Korean national flag hangs at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, Thursday (local time), marking President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to the NYSE. Yonhap
On the final day of his trip, Lee visited the New York Stock Exchange to host t a Korean investment summit, where he appealed to Wall Street investors to expand their commitments to Korea.
He also underscored the urgency of renewed U.S.-North Korea dialogue, warning that Pyongyang already possesses “sufficient nuclear capability to sustain its regime.”
In a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Lee called for tariff discussions rooted in “commercial rationality” and mutual benefit, while also stressing the need for a Korea-U.S. currency swap amid ongoing trade tensions.
A meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump did not materialize during the visit, though the two are expected to meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting in Gyeongju next month. With Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations deadlocked, Lee is expected to focus on follow-up talks and preparations for the summit in the weeks ahead.
President Lee Jae Myung poses for a commemorative photo with New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) President Lynn Martin, right, at the NYSE in New York, Thursday (local time). Joint Press Corps
Domestically, the president now faces pressing challenges ahead of the early October Chuseok holiday, including stabilizing household livelihoods, navigating partisan standoffs over a government reorganization bill and overseeing the confirmation process for Supreme Court nominee Cho Hee-dae.
The trip marked Lee’s second major multilateral diplomatic stage, after the G7 summit in Canada in June, and comes just one month after his bilateral summit with Trump in the United States.