President Lee departs on overseas tour, begins state visits to Singapore and the Philippines

The Financial News reported that President Lee Jae-myung of South Korea departed on the 1st for state visits to the Republic of Singapore and the Republic of the Philippines.
President Lee left for the Republic of Singapore from Seoul Air Base earlier in the day, accompanied by First Lady Kim Hye-kyung.
Wearing a black suit with a tie in shades of burgundy, silver, and blue, President Lee, together with First Lady Kim in a white dress, arrived at Seoul Air Base, greeted the officials seeing them off with handshakes, and then boarded the presidential aircraft.
Those present at the send-off included Minister of the Interior and Safety Yun Ho-jung; presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik of the Office of the President of the Republic of Korea; Senior Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs Hong Ik-pyo; Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) leader Jung Chung-rae; DPK floor leader Han Byung-do; First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Yunju; Kang Eleanor Yu, chargé d’affaires at the Embassy of Singapore in Seoul; and Edwin Gil Q. Mendoza, chargé d’affaires at the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines in Seoul.
Starting today, President Lee begins a four-day, three-night state visit to the Republic of Singapore and the Philippines. Following his participation in the ASEAN Summit last October, he plans to further expand his diplomatic engagement in Southeast Asia and strengthen industrial cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence and defense.
On the 2nd, President Lee will hold a summit meeting and a friendship luncheon with Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. He is also scheduled to meet separately with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and attend official events including a state banquet. In addition, he will take part in the jointly hosted "AI Connect Summit."
Afterward, from the 3rd to the 4th, President Lee will visit Manila in the Philippines, where he is scheduled to hold a summit and attend a state banquet with Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr.

west@fnnews.com Seong Seok-woo Reporter