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President Lee Jae-myung shakes hands with Chinese Premier Li Qiang during the 28th ASEAN+3 Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Malaysia on October 27. / Source: Yonhap News

President Lee Jae-myung attended the 28th ASEAN+3 Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 27, reaffirming his commitment to trilateral cooperation among South Korea, Japan, and China, and exploring ways to deepen ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

According to presidential spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung, President Lee met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi during the meeting at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre to discuss regional collaboration.

In his opening remarks, President Lee voiced his support for the “ASEAN+3 Leaders’ Statement on Strengthening Regional Economic and Financial Cooperation,” adopted to address growing challenges such as protectionism and supply-chain realignments.

He also outlined Seoul’s vision for practical cooperation under this year’s ASEAN theme, “Inclusivity and Sustainability,” emphasizing shared growth and stability across the region.

Building on South Korea’s pledge at the UN Security Council in September to promote an “AI-based inclusive society,” Lee reaffirmed his commitment to helping ASEAN nations strengthen digital capabilities and expand access to AI-driven opportunities.

In line with this, Lee promised to enhance cooperation in sustainable development by supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as bolstering food and energy security across the region.

Spokesperson Kang added that South Korea will contribute an additional 10,000 tons of rice this year to the ASEAN+3 Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) and work through initiatives such as the ASEAN+3 Center for Gifted Education to nurture the next generation of leaders for an inclusive and sustainable future.