President Lee departs for 10-day Europe trip... attention on possible Trump encounter at G7 Summit

[Financial News] President Lee Jae-myung departed on the 9th for a 10-day trip to Europe to attend the G7 Summit and other events. It is his first visit to Europe since taking office, and he will travel to Belgium, Italy, the Roman Curia, and France in sequence.
President Lee and First Lady Kim Hye-kyung arrived at the terminal building of Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, at around 8:56 a.m. to board Code One. Lee wore a dark navy suit with a blue tie, while Kim wore a jade-colored two-piece outfit.
In front of Code One, the presidential couple shook hands in turn with Prime Minister of South Korea Kim Min-seok, Yun Ho-jung, Chief of Staff to the President of the Republic of Korea Kang Hoon-sik, Senior Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs Hong Ik-pyo, Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Jina, and officials from France, Belgium, Italy, and the EU stationed in South Korea. They then boarded the aircraft at around 8:58 a.m. after bowing to the send-off party at the stairs.
Before departure, Lee said on X (formerly Twitter), "This is my first visit to Europe since taking office," adding that it was "a journey to broaden the horizon of cooperation amid a global polycrisis and further strengthen the foundation of our economy and diplomacy."
Lee will arrive in Brussels, Belgium, on the afternoon of the 9th local time and begin his itinerary with a dinner meeting with overseas Koreans. Marking the 125th anniversary of Korea-Belgium diplomatic relations this year, he is scheduled to hold a summit with Prime Minister Bart De Wever and meet King Philippe of Belgium. A ROK-EU summit is also planned.
Lee described Belgium as "a country that serves as Europe's logistics hub and has an innovative ecosystem for the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises," adding that it "will be a strong partner in helping our companies expand into Europe and create new growth opportunities."
He also expressed hope for deeper cultural and people-to-people exchanges, saying that "with BTS's first solo concert in Belgium coming up early next month, cooperation that connects the future generations of both countries will deepen even further."
Lee will then make a state visit to Italy, where he will hold summit talks with President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and attend the Korea-Italy Business Roundtable. At the Roman Curia, he is expected to meet Pope Leo XIV and reaffirm the Vatican's support and interest in peace on the Korean Peninsula.
In the latter part of the trip, he will attend the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France. This marks South Korea's second consecutive year attending the summit. As reports say U.S. President Donald Trump is also expected to attend, attention is focused on whether a South Korea–United States summit will take place. However, the Blue House said no specific agreement has been reached yet.
west@fnnews.com Seong Seok-woo Reporter