Korea vows to host 2028 G20 summit with ‘profound sense of responsibility’

President Lee Jae Myung and leaders of G20 member countries pose during the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday (local time). Joint Press Corps

President Lee Jae Myung pledged that Korea would approach its role as host of the 2028 G20 summit with a “profound sense of responsibility,” after the nation was formally confirmed as the next president of the annual forum during Sunday’s gathering in Johannesburg, South Africa, Sunday (local time).

"As a country that helped build the G20 and has seen it serve as a compass for the international community in times of crisis, the Republic of Korea seeks to once again assume the presidency in 2028, marking the 20th anniversary of the G20 leaders’ summit," Lee said during the summit's third session.

"With a profound sense of responsibility, we will do our utmost to ensure that the G20 further consolidates its role as the premier forum for international economic cooperation," he added.

During the session, Korea was confirmed to take on the presidency after the United States in 2026 and the United Kingdom in 2027.

This marks a major diplomatic achievement for the Lee administration, coming within the president's five-year term, which ends in 2030, and following Korea's recent roles as chair of the U.N. Security Council and host of this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit which took place in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province almost one month ago.

In his speech, Lee also stressed that advances in artificial intelligence must provide fair opportunities for all nations and peoples, while urging member states to work together to build a stable and mutually beneficial supply chain for critical minerals.

On the sidelines of the summit, Lee held bilateral meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Saturday (local time). The president also held respective meetings with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Wrapping up his G20 attendance, Lee was set to depart for Turkey, the final stop on his four-nation trip through the Middle East and Africa, which included visits to the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. In Ankara, Lee is scheduled to hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday (local time).

President Lee Jae Myung arrives for the second day of the G20 summit at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg, Sunday (local time). AFP-Yonhap

Lee's attendance at the two-day G20 gathering in South Africa, the first in the gathering's history to be held in African nation, signaled a strategic recalibration in Seoul's foreign policy, diplomatic analysts said.

Driven by the imperative to secure supply chains for critical minerals and energy, the trip provided momentum for the administration's efforts to forge deeper ties with the Global South and expand Korea's international responsibilities.

The Global South is a term often used for the collective grouping of developing economies across Africa, Latin America, Asia, Oceania and the Caribbean.

During the first session of the multilateral gathering on Saturday (local time), Lee called the first G20 summit to be held in Africa "highly meaningful" and expressed support for the African Cooperation Framework, a multilateral initiative aimed at promoting sustainable development across the continent.

On trade, he urged G20 nations to work toward revitalizing the World Trade Organization to boost global growth, noting that the international trade body "serves the interests of all nations."

Doo Jin-ho, head of the Eurasia Research Center at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, said the G20 meeting provided a timely diplomatic opportunity for the Lee administration. The summit came roughly a year after Korea faced political turmoil from then-President Yoon Suk Yeol's abrupt declaration of martial law last December.

"Through the president's presence at the G20, a forum that brings together the world’s major economies, the government was able to showcase Korea's fully restored democratic resilience after the impeachment crisis," Doo said. "It has also signaled that the nation's ties with the Global South will strengthen under his administration."

Doo noted that the Global South is emerging as an alternative framework to the G7, a bloc of wealthy nations, and thus is becoming an increasingly important diplomatic partner for Seoul.

This year's G20 was particularly significant as leaders adopted a joint statement at the start of the summit, despite opposition from the United States, which boycotted the two-day talks amid a diplomatic rift with the host country.

The 122-point declaration called for coordinated global action on climate-related disasters, rising sovereign debt, food security challenges and securing supply chains for critical minerals to support inclusive growth.