President Lee Jae-myung will depart on June 16 to attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada. This marks his first overseas trip just 12 days after taking office. The visit is expected to officially signal Korea’s return to summit diplomacy and serve as a key opportunity to advance discussions on pending issues through bilateral talks with the leaders of the U.S., Japan, and others.
National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said that President Lee will attend the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, for a three-day trip, including one overnight stay, at a briefing held at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul, on June 15. The presidential office outlined four key objectives of the visit, which are promoting the message of Korea’s democratic restoration, resuming top-level diplomacy, initiating pragmatic foreign policy, and gaining momentum to resolve major issues. “This will be the first stage to inform the international community that ‘democratic Korea is back,’ following former president Yoon Suk-yeol’s martial law declaration on December 3 of last year,” Wi said. “It is the starting point of reigniting summit diplomacy.” He emphasized a pragmatic diplomatic approach, adding, “By engaging with leaders of countries like the U.S. and Japan, we aim to find solutions to pressing economic and trade issues such as tariffs.”
The G7 summit, often referred to as an “informal grouping of advanced democracies,” is an annual gathering of leaders from the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada, and the European Union (EU). This year marks the summit’s 50th anniversary. Korea was invited by the host nation, Canada. President Lee and First Lady Kim Hye-kyung are scheduled to arrive in Calgary, Canada, on the afternoon of the 16th. A summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy may take place that day. In the evening, Lee will attend official events hosted by the Canadian government. On the 17th, he will travel to Kananaskis to participate in the G7 summit. During an extended session over lunch focusing on "energy security," Lee is expected to deliver two addresses, discussing topics such as diversifying energy supply chains and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) with the energy sector. The ongoing military conflict between Israel and Iran is also likely to be a key issue at the summit.
Of particular interest are Lee’s bilateral meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. A senior official from the presidential office said that “both sides are showing willingness to find common ground” regarding these meetings.
The summit between Korea and the U.S. is likely to cover issues related to tariffs and security. The official said, “The main issues concern trade, including tariffs, and security matters. The president aims to resolve these through close coordination with the U.S.” A trilateral meeting involving Korea, the U.S., and Japan is also under consideration. “We remain open to the possibility,” the official added, “but with multiple multilateral events being coordinated, nothing has been finalized yet.”
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