President Lee Jae-myung will embark on a European trip from the 9th to the 18th to attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Evian, France. It will be Lee's second time attending the G7 summit, following last year. On this trip, he plans to visit Belgium and the European Union (EU), Italy, and the Holy See in turn to discuss ways to expand cooperation between the two countries' small and midsize enterprises and the expansion of our corporations' entry into Europe, as well as measures to promote cultural exchanges. In Italy, where Lee will make a state visit, a "business roundtable" between the two countries' corporations is also planned.
Wi Sung-lac, director of the Office of National Security, said on the 5th, "As President Lee Jae-myung attends the G7 summit for the second consecutive year, we expect to cement our status as a G7 Plus global responsible power," adding, "On that basis, we will continue cooperation with the next G7 host countries, including the United States in 2027 and the United Kingdom in 2028, and strengthen the G7 partnership." This year's G7 summit will be held from June 15 to 17.
Wi said, "We plan to actively join the international community's solidarity to resolve global issues and lay the groundwork to continue leading related agendas as the 2028 G20 chair," adding, "We will join the G7's efforts to resolve vulnerabilities in the international community, such as global imbalances, critical minerals, digital, and drugs, and, as the 2028 G20 chair, continue to lead cooperation on related agendas and produce outcomes that benefit the national interest."
Cheong Wa Dae said it especially expects the visit to the EU to serve as an opportunity to expand our corporations' entry into the European market and security cooperation. Based on the "security and defense partnership" adopted by both sides in 2024, Korea plans to receive close information sharing from the EU and strengthen cooperation to respond to transnational crimes such as drugs and terrorism.
The issue of Russia could also come to the table during the discussions. Cheong Wa Dae has considered approaching the North Korea issue with Russia as a foothold. However, given the EU's strong sanctions against Russia, a diplomatic solution is needed. A senior Cheong Wa Dae official said, "In the course of consultations, we intend to manage relations well with major countries that have significant influence on the Korean Peninsula issue," adding, "Russia is one of them."
◇Cheong Wa Dae "We are discussing holding a U.S.-Korea summit if possible"
Attention is also on whether a summit between Lee and U.S. President Donald Trump will materialize on the sidelines of this G7 summit. The official said, "If possible, we are discussing holding a bilateral meeting between the United States and Korea, but nothing is concrete at this point." The official added, "We first need to determine whether President Trump will attend," and said, "If there is an opportunity, we can pursue it, but at the moment there is nothing we can say specifically."
Earlier, on the 3rd (local time), President Trump wrote on the social media (SNS) platform Truth Social that he plans to head to the G7 in France "right after the UFC world championship match on the South Lawn of the White House, which will be one of the most exciting nights in American history."
The leaders of the United States and Korea had also planned a summit on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada in June last year. However, the meeting was canceled when President Trump returned home urgently due to the worsening Middle East situation at the time. It is unclear whether Trump will attend all three days of this summit in person or only part of it. However, foreign media reported that French President Emmanuel Macron plans to host a grand banquet at the Palace of Versailles and has urged Trump to attend.