Seoul: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will make a state visit to South Korea in late February for summit talks with President Lee Jae Myung, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday. Lula is scheduled to visit from Feb. 22-24 at Lee's invitation, marking his first state visit to South Korea in 21 years.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the two leaders will hold summit talks on Feb. 23 and plan to sign memorandums of understanding on cooperation in various areas to further advance bilateral relations, Lee's office said in a release. They are expected to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, climate, energy, space, defense industry, science and technology, agriculture, education, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.
Cheong Wa Dae expressed hope that the summit will provide an opportunity for the two leaders to build personal rapport by sharing their experiences of overcoming adversity when they were teens. Both Lee and Lula worked in factories in their youth and experienced workplace injuries.
Lee and Lula first met on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Canada in June last year. Lee later extended an invitation for Lula to visit South Korea during their meeting on the margins of the Group of 20 summit in South Africa in November. Since establishing diplomatic ties in 1959, Brazil has become South Korea's largest trading partner in South America.