Seoul, Sep 26 (IANS) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung returned home Friday from a trip to New York, where he unveiled a new peace initiative on the Korean Peninsula at the UN General Assembly.
In his first UN address since taking office in June, Lee also declared South Korea’s full return to the global stage after months of political turmoil following former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed martial law attempt, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Under the so-called “END” initiative, Lee told the United Nations that South Korea will focus on “exchange,” “normalization” and “denuclearization” to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.
During a meeting with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Lee said he expects to make progress in trade talks with Washington based on “commercial rationality.”
The meeting between Lee and Bessent came as Seoul and Washington have made little progress on details of South Korea’s US$350 billion investment pledge in the United States.
On Thursday, Lee hosted the “Korea Investment Summit” at the New York Stock Exchange to attract fresh capital inflows and strengthen the Korean stock market.
Earlier this week, Lee met BlackRock CEO Larry Fink to discuss cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI) and renewable energy, leading to the signing of an agreement to build AI data centers under Seoul’s vision of becoming Asia’s AI hub.
On Wednesday, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met with Polish President Karol Nawrocki and discussed ways to expand cooperation in the defence industry, Lee’s office said.
Lee held his first talks with Nawrocki on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, as Poland has become a key destination for South Korea’s defence exports in recent years amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The leaders recognized that defence industry cooperation, centered on tanks and other areas, has continued to advance, and agreed to further expand cooperation so that companies from both countries can achieve mutually beneficial results,” the office said in a release.
Lee expressed hope for closer collaboration on Poland’s submarine acquisition program, the office said.
Hanwha Group has been actively pursuing Warsaw’s Orka project, which envisions the purchase of three to four 3,000-ton submarines worth more than 3 trillion won (US$2.25 billion).
The two leaders also exchanged views on regional security issues, including the Korean Peninsula and Ukraine, according to the office.
–IANS
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