President Lee Jae Myung Makes Mexico State Visit—the First by a Korean President in 16 Years—for Summit on AI, Aerospace and Defense

 【Financial News, Mexico City, Mexico—Choi Jong-geun】President Lee Jae Myung arrived at Felipe Ángeles International Airport in Mexico on Sept. 23 local time after completing his schedule for the United Nations General Assembly in New York. This marks the first state visit to Mexico by a President of the Republic of Korea in 16 years.
Mexican officials who came to the airport to greet President Lee included Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco Álvarez, Deputy Foreign Minister María Teresa Mercado, Chief of Protocol at the Foreign Ministry Jonathan Chait Auerbach, Director-General for Asia-Pacific Affairs at the Foreign Ministry Fernando González Saiffe, and Carlos Peñafiel, Mexico's ambassador to South Korea.
During his three-day, two-night state visit, President Lee will hold summit talks and other meetings with President Claudia Sheinbaum to explore ways to expand cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies, the aviation and space industries, defense, and culture.
On Sept. 24, President Lee will lay a wreath at the Monument to the Heroic Cadets in Chapultepec Park before attending an official welcoming ceremony at the National Palace, the presidential palace.
President Lee will then hold one-on-one talks and expanded talks with President Sheinbaum, attend an MOU exchange ceremony, a luncheon, and a joint press conference. In the evening, he will host a dinner meeting with the Korean community in Mexico.
On Sept. 25, President Lee will attend a business forum at the World Trade Center in Mexico City, visit the K-EXPO event venue, and depart for South Korea.
Mexico is considered a huge market with a population of 130 million and a gross domestic product (GDP) of 1 trillion 8,000 billion dollars, as well as a key gateway to the North American market. It is South Korea's largest trading and investment partner in Latin America, with around 560 South Korean companies actively operating there.
Just before heading to Mexico, President Lee wrote on X, formerly Twitter, "This is the first state visit by a President of the Republic of Korea in 16 years. Through this visit, we will further develop the strategic partnership established between the two countries in 2005 and pool our wisdom to achieve tangible results that the public and businesses can feel."
He continued, "President Sheinbaum is Mexico's first female president and a scientist by training. I first met her at last year's Group of Seven (G7) summit, and this year we also discussed the future of bilateral relations by phone. Last May, she went up to Zócalo Square with BTS and met with citizens. Cultural exchanges between South Korea and Mexico are also growing closer."
President Lee emphasized, "This time, we will sit down together again in Mexico. We will broaden the scope of cooperation beyond the economy and trade to future industries such as AI and digital technologies, aerospace, and defense, while further expanding cultural and people-to-people exchanges."
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