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President Donald Trump watches President Lee Jae-myung sign the White House guestbook at the Oval Office in Washington, D.C., on August 25. / Source: Yonhap News

President Lee Jae-myung will attend the 80th UN General Assembly high-level week in New York from September 23 and deliver a keynote address.

He will also, for the first time as a Korean president, preside over an open debate on artificial intelligence, international peace, and security in his capacity as this month’s UN Security Council president. The 15-member Council rotates the presidency monthly in alphabetical order, with Korea holding the gavel in September.

Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said at a briefing on September 2 that Lee will use the trip to strengthen solidarity with the international community and elevate Korea’s standing as a “responsible global power.”

Kang noted that the high-level week convenes annually for about one week starting on the third Tuesday of September, drawing a large number of heads of state and government from the UN’s 193 member states, and added that global attention will be especially intense this year, the UN’s 80th anniversary.

Kang said Lee’s speech will share Korea’s experience overcoming democratic challenges and outline the government’s vision and policies on global issues, including the Korean Peninsula.