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President Lee Jae-myung and First Lady Kim Hye-kyung greet well-wishers after arriving at New York’s JFK International Airport aboard Air Force One on September 22 for the UN General Assembly. / Source: Yonhap News

President Lee Jae-myung arrived in New York on September 22 (local time) to begin a five-day visit for the UN General Assembly, accompanied by First Lady Kim Hye-kyung.

Landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport around noon aboard Air Force One, the couple was greeted by Ambassador to the UN Cha Ji-hoon and his spouse, incoming Ambassador to the U.S. Kang Kyung-wha, and acting Consul General in New York Lee Sang-ho and his spouse.

President Lee’s schedule began with meetings with Larry Fink, CEO of global asset management giant BlackRock, and a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers. He is also slated to attend a town hall with Korean residents in New York alongside the First Lady.

On September 23, Lee will deliver a keynote speech at the General Assembly, where he is expected to declare the “return of democratic Korea” and present a roadmap toward achieving denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

On September 24, Lee will make history as the first South Korean president to chair an open debate at the UN Security Council in his capacity as rotating president. On September 25, he will turn to “sales diplomacy,” hosting events in Manhattan to encourage investment in Korea at the heart of global finance.