Lee set for summit talks with leaders of Belgium, EU

Aboard Air Force One, President Lee Jae Myung, left, and first lady Kim Hea Kyung arrive at a military air base in Brussels, Tuesday (local time). Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung was set to hold summit talks Wednesday with the prime minsiter of Belgium and leaders of the European Union (EU), with enhancing trade with the region likely to be the main topic.

The president was scheduled to first hold talks with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever in the morning, followed by talks with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, and Antonio Luis Santos da Costa, president of the European Council.

Brussels is the first stop on Lee's trip to Europe, which will also take him to Italy and then to France, marking his first visit to the region since taking office a year earlier.

In his first summit with the Belgian prime minister, Lee is expected to discuss ways to enhance bilateral trade and other economic cooperation, with Seoul viewing Belgium as a key gateway for Korean firms seeking to expand into the broader European market.

With the EU leaders, the Korean president is expected to discuss strengthening economic exchanges with the economic bloc, as well as security issues.

Security situations on the Korean Peninsula and in the Middle East, as well as energy supply chains, may also top the agenda.

Lee's trip to Brussels marks the first visit by a Korean president to the city in eight years, as his administration seeks to broaden diplomatic outreach.