South Korean President Lee launches AI diplomatic tour

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung departed on an 11-day overseas trip on July 24, embarking on a diplomatic mission focused on forging partnerships in artificial intelligence and securing critical mineral resources. The itinerary includes a two-day visit to San Francisco, followed by state visits to Brazil, Chile, and Argentina, concluding with a stop in Frankfurt, Germany, before returning to Seoul on August 3.

In San Francisco, the president's agenda centers on advancing South Korea's ambitions in the AI sector. He is scheduled to hold separate meetings with the chief executives of four major U.S. technology firms: Sam Altman of OpenAI, Jensen Huang of Nvidia, Dario Amodei of Anthropic, and Hock Tan of Broadcom. These discussions are intended to secure investment and cooperation for South Korea's recently announced national megaprojects in semiconductors, AI data centers, and physical AI.

Later on July 24, President Lee will attend a high-level AI summit alongside the U.S. tech CEOs and leaders of major South Korean conglomerates, including Samsung Electronics, SK Group, and Hyundai Motor Group. During this event, he plans to issue a "San Francisco AI Declaration,"...