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Kim Yong-beom, Senior Presidential Secretary for Policy, gives a pre-trip briefing regarding the upcoming visit to the United States and South America at the Chunchugwan press center in the Blue House on July 22 / Photo by Yonhap News Agency

President Lee Jae-myung will depart on July 24 for an 11-day tour visiting San Francisco, three South American nations, and Frankfurt, Germany, before returning home. In the United States, he plans to finalize cooperation on artificial intelligence (AI) and venture capital investment, while in South America, he will focus on expanding market access and critical resource supply chains. Ahead of his US visit, the issue of South Korea's potential contribution to maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz is also expected to draw attention.

Wi Sung-lac, Director of National Security, and Kim Yong-beom, Senior Presidential Secretary for Policy, announced the itinerary during a press briefing at the Chunchugwan press center in the Blue House on July 22.

Notably, on July 24, President Lee will hold consecutive meetings with Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic; Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI; Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia; and Hock Tan, CEO of Broadcom, to discuss AI investment and partnership strategies.

At the San Francisco AI Summit immediately following these meetings, around 150 domestic and international business leaders and investors will gather, including the big tech executives alongside major Korean business leaders such as Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung, and Naver Global Investment Officer Lee Hae-jin.

On July 25, President Lee will meet with six major Silicon Valley venture capital firms to discuss ways to connect the South Korean and US venture ecosystems and expand investments in K-startups, building on a memorandum of understanding with the National Pension Service. Beyond economic activities, key US-South Korea security issues are also drawing significant interest. This comes amid speculation that the United States, currently leading an international coalition to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, may ask South Korea for additional contributions, such as deploying naval vessels.

The Blue House clarified that "there has been no recent request to deploy specific assets," but kept the door open for cooperation. The government maintains a position that it will review practical contribution measures while considering Korea's defense readiness posture on the Korean Peninsula and relevant domestic legal procedures.

Given South Korea's heavy reliance on foreign crude oil and natural gas, the nation holds a direct interest in ensuring safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. However, because deploying military assets carries security and legal burdens, the government is expected to calibrate both the form and level of its involvement, which may include non-military support.

After completing his US schedule, President Lee will pivot to economic diplomacy in South America. From July 26 to 29, he will pay a state visit to Brazil, where he will hold a summit with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and attend the Korea-Brazil Business Roundtable.

From July 29 to 30, he will visit Chile to meet with President José Antonio Kast to discuss modernizing the Korea-Chile Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and expanding cooperation in copper, lithium, defense, and infrastructure. Next, he will visit Argentina through August 1 to hold talks with President Javier Milei on lithium, shale gas, and food supply chain collaboration. This marks the first visit to Argentina by a South Korean president in 22 years.

The Blue House described the three South American nations as a "mega-market" boasting a combined population of 280 million and a GDP of $3.7 trillion. It explained plans to broaden economic security cooperation into strategic sectors, including rare earths and defense in Brazil, copper, lithium, and infrastructure in Chile, and shale gas, agriculture, and livestock in Argentina.

President Lee will hold a meeting with overseas Korean residents in Frankfurt, Germany, on August 2 before arriving back in South Korea on August 3.

                                                                                                       Park Young-hoon