South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has completed his official visit to Chile and travelled on to Argentina, the fourth stop of an eleven-day tour that began in San Francisco and has already included a state visit to Brazil. The Argentina summit, along with critical minerals, trade modernisation, and clean energy, forms the focus of the Latin American leg on critical minerals, trade modernisation and clean energy, and the Argentina summit.
Chile
President Lee, accompanied by First Lady Kim Hye-kyung, held summit talks with Chilean President José Antonio Kast at La Moneda Palace in Santiago on 30 July, following an official welcome ceremony. At the joint press conference afterwards, Lee said the two countries had agreed to reactivate the Korea-Chile Free Trade Commission for the first time in ten years and pursue mutually beneficial cooperation in critical mineral supply chains, infrastructure, public security and defence. He added that Chile, the world’s largest copper producer with the largest lithium reserves, and Korea, a leader in semiconductors and batteries, were natural and ideal partners in building critical mineral supply chains.
President Kast, speaking at the same event, went further, proposing that ties extend to the polar south: “We want to take another step forward in this partnership, which brings us together as we look toward one of the globe’s last frontiers. In that context, I have invited President Lee Jae Myung to make a joint visit to Antarctica.” The two sides duly revised their Antarctic research MOU to cover sustainable station operations and governance. President Kast also noted the depth of cultural exchange, pointing out that BTS is scheduled to perform in October at Chile’s National Stadium, the country’s principal sporting venue.
In total, five memoranda of understanding were signed or revised during the visit, covering mineral resources, public security, polar research, maritime safety and investment cooperation, with the mineral partnership upgraded to ministerial level. The Korean side also confirmed continued backing for Hyundai Engineering & Construction’s Chacao Bridge project, South America’s first four-lane suspension bridge and Chile’s largest state infrastructure scheme. On regional security, President Lee said he had asked Kast for Chile’s continued support in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula, a request Kast affirmed, while the two leaders also agreed to cooperate closely on co-hosting the fourth UN Ocean Conference in 2028 and Chile’s hosting of the APEC summit in 2032.
Argentina
President Lee and the First Lady arrived at Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires on the evening of 30 July, greeted by Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno. Senior presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing that through the official visit, President Lee is expected to take cooperation with Argentina — which possesses all the key elements of economic security, including critical minerals, energy and food — to a new level. On the trade front, she noted that Argentina, along with Brazil, is a key member of Mercosur and important to securing cooperation for the expeditious resumption of negotiations on a Korea-Mercosur trade agreement.
The summit with President Javier Milei was scheduled first in the morning on 31 July at Casa Rosada, with agenda items expected to include lithium supply-chain cooperation, shale gas, food security and the stalled Korea-Mercosur talks, which have been paused since 2021. President Lee’s programme also included a wreath-laying at Plaza San Martín, honouring Argentina’s independence hero, a meeting with Buenos Aires Mayor Jorge Macri, and a dinner with the local Korean community.
