Lee attends G7 summit in Evian, has brief encounter with Trump

President Lee Jae Myung, left, speaks to U.S. President Donald Trump, right, during a group photo session at a hotel in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, his first day attending the Group of Seven summit in the French town. Yonhap

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung attended the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on Tuesday and had a brief encounter with U.S. President Donald Trump during a photo session.

Emmanuel Macron, president of host France, welcomed Lee to the summit venue. The South Korean president responded, "I am so happy," after Macron asked, "How are you?"

During a subsequent group photo session for leaders of participating countries, Lee had a brief encounter with Trump for about 30 seconds, a livestream of the event showed.

Details of their conversation were not immediately available, but Lee and Trump were seen eagerly speaking to each other through who appeared to be an interpreter.

This year marks the second consecutive year South Korea has been invited to the G7 summit as a partner country. The G7 consists of France, Germany, the U.S., Canada, Italy, Japan and Britain.

France has invited non-G7 nations, including Brazil, Egypt, India and Kenya, to help shape coordinated responses to global challenges, such as the wars in Ukraine and Iran, global financial instability and risks associated with artificial intelligence (AI).

"Being invited to the G7 Summit for the second consecutive year is a deeply meaningful testament to the trust and expectations that the international community places in the Republic of Korea," Lee wrote on social platform X ahead of the summit, referring to South Korea by its official name.

"I will engage in in-depth discussions with the leaders of the G7 members and invited countries on the defining issues of our time, including international partnerships and solidarity, more balanced economic growth, and the future of AI and emerging technologies," he added.

Later Tuesday, Lee was set to join the event's first expanded session, under the theme of "forging new partnerships and rebuilding international solidarity."

Lee and others leaders were set to discuss joint efforts to address the decline in international development aid flows, according to the South Korean presidential office.

Lee, in particular, plans to stress the need to forge partnerships between development donors, including G7 member countries, and recipients, while emphasizing efforts to prevent artificial intelligence (AI) gaps among countries from widening economic disparities, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said.

The G7 summit will likely address a range of other issues, including the wars in Ukraine and Iran, global financial instability and the emergence of AI.

"Building on the strength of the Republic of Korea made possible by our great people, I will firmly safeguard our national interests and faithfully fulfill our responsible role in contributing to global peace and prosperity," Lee said in his X post.

Lee will attend G7 summit sessions again on Wednesday before heading home, wrapping up his 10-day Europe trip.

The South Korean president is also expected to hold bilateral summit talks with some of the participating leaders, but whether he would hold a formal meeting with Trump remained uncertain.

A presidential official said the office is leaving the door open for the possibility of a Lee-Trump meeting, but no concrete progress had been made in arranging one.