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President Lee Jae-myung and First Lady Kim Hye-kyung wave before boarding Air Force One at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam on September 22 for their trip to the United States to attend the UN General Assembly. / Source: Yonhap News

President Lee Jae-myung departed for New York on September 22 for a five-day trip to attend the UN General Assembly, using the multilateral stage as a springboard to ensure the success of next month’s APEC summit in Gyeongju. First Lady Kim Hye-kyung is accompanying him.

This marks Lee’s first UN appearance since taking office. He plans to declare the “return of democratic Korea,” unveil a roadmap for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and highlight his pragmatic diplomacy.

On his arrival day, Lee will meet Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, to discuss cooperation on artificial intelligence. On September 23, he will deliver a keynote speech at the General Assembly, followed by chairing an open debate at the UN Security Council — the first South Korean president to do so — under the theme of “AI for all,” stressing collective efforts for global peace and prosperity.

On September 25, Lee will shift to “sales diplomacy” in Manhattan, hosting an investor relations summit with Wall Street leaders to promote trust in and investment for the Korean economy. “The goal is to raise confidence in Korea and attract investment,” said National Security Office chief Wi Sung-lac, noting that Lee is resuming multilateral diplomacy just three months after attending the G7 summit in Canada. While no bilateral summit with U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled in New York, Lee is set to meet leaders from France, Italy, and Poland.

Wi also suggested a Korea-U.S. summit could still happen in October, raising the possibility that Lee and Trump may meet on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Gyeongju.

The stakes for APEC have risen after Trump announced that he had agreed to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Korea during the summit, following their phone call on September 19. In an interview with Time magazine, Lee said he seeks to act as a “bridge between great powers,” signaling that he aims to elevate Korea’s global standing by playing the role of mediator.

Observers are also watching whether Lee will deliver a significant message to North Korea during his UN speech. Pyongyang, which is sending a high-level delegation for the first time since 2018, could potentially create an opportunity for inter-Korean contact.

The presidential office reiterated on September 22 that Seoul will support dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang after Kim Jong-un suggested he could resume talks if the U.S. abandons its denuclearization demands.