President Lee Jae-myung will attend the 80th United Nations General Assembly high-level meeting in New York from the 23rd as the chair of the United Nations Security Council (Security Council). For the first time among South Korean presidents, he will preside over a public discussion, with the topics being AI (artificial intelligence), international peace, and security.
Spokesperson Kang Yu-jeong noted during a briefing on the 2nd, "The United Nations General Assembly high-level meeting is held annually for about a week starting on the Tuesday of the third week of September, gathering top officials from 193 member countries in the world's largest multilateral diplomatic stage." She added, "This year, particularly, is a meaningful year marking the 80th anniversary of the UN, and I expect the international community's attention will be more focused than ever."
President Lee will deliver a keynote speech and preside over the public discussion in his capacity as chair of the Security Council during this session. The keynote speech is scheduled for the 23rd, while the public discussion is set for the 24th. It is expected that the keynote speech will share the overall process of overcoming the martial law situation of 12.3 and holding an early presidential election. At that time, foreign media also highlighted the peaceful protests of citizens who demonstrated without violence.
The spokesperson stated, "President Lee plans to share the process of overcoming the democratic crisis experienced by our country and recovering, as well as presenting the government's vision and policies on major global issues, including the Korean Peninsula problem."
This is the first time for a South Korean president to preside over a public discussion as chair of the UN Security Council. The presidency rotates among the Security Council member states each month, allowing the country holding the presidency to select issues of importance to them as topics. President Lee will also address 'important security issues', including AI, as reported by the Presidential Office.
Spokesperson Kang said, "In the public discussion, we plan to discuss the challenges posed by the rapid advancement of AI technology to international peace and security, and seek joint responses from the international community." She added, "Above all, it can be seen as a declarative meaning that Korea will lead the AI issue, which has traditionally been led by established Western countries like the UK and the U.S."
There is also the possibility of a reunion with U.S. President Donald Trump. President Trump will also be a speaker at this assembly. Due to the nature of multilateral meetings, many bilateral meetings with heads of state may take place. This means that President Lee, who had his first summit with President Trump at the White House after taking office, could reunite with him in New York in about a month.