President Lee Jae Myung (front left) and first lady Kim Hea Kyung (on Lee's left) leave Air Force One at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam on Thursday, after returning from Lee’s European tour and the G7 summit. (Yonhap)
President Lee Jae Myung returned home Thursday from his first European tour since taking office, during which he renewed momentum in diplomacy with the United States, managed trade pressure from Europe, and supported Korean defense firms pursuing a major Canadian submarine contract.
Lee arrived in Seoul from Geneva, Switzerland, after attending the Group of Seven summit in Evian-les-Bains, France. The trip — which also took him to Belgium, Italy and the Vatican — was part of the Lee administration’s push to broaden South Korea’s diplomacy with Europe under its stated goal of pragmatic diplomacy centered on national interest.
The most closely watched moment came at the G7 summit, where Lee held a roughly 90-minute conversation with US President Donald Trump over dinner. Lee said that he and Trump discussed peace on the Korean Peninsula and bilateral relations in depth, later describing the exchange as having produced “significant progress.”
Lee also asked Trump to take the lead in seeking a peaceful resolution of tensions with North Korea, according to Lee’s office. Trump responded that he would work on the matter, the office said.
The two leaders also discussed mutually beneficial cooperation, including in shipbuilding, and agreed on the importance of trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the US and Japan. Trump described Lee as a “strong leader,” according to Seoul.
The presidential office also pointed to signs of personal rapport between the two leaders. Trump gave Lee a pen he had used to sign summit documents and proposed a golf outing with Lee and first lady Kim Hea Kyung, an offer Lee said had been repeated more than once.
The exchange drew attention in Seoul as Lee seeks to ease tensions with Pyongyang while keeping the South Korea-US alliance at the center of his security policy.
Trump, who held three meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his first term, has repeatedly signaled interest in diplomacy with Pyongyang. Previous talks broke down after the 2019 Hanoi summit failed to produce an agreement.
President Lee Jae Myung (right) and US President Donald Trump pose for a photo during an official dinner at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on Tuesday. (Joint Press Corps via Yonhap)
President Lee Jae Myung (left), first lady Kim Hea Kyung (right) and US President Donald Trump pose for a photo during an official dinner at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on Tuesday. (Joint Press Corps via Yonhap)
Beyond the Trump meeting, Lee’s tour focused heavily on economic security. In Brussels, he held a summit with European Union leaders, where the two sides discussed cooperation on security, energy and supply chains.
Steel was one of the key agenda items, as Seoul seeks favorable treatment for Korean exports ahead of the EU’s planned new import regime from July 1. Under the planned system, the EU is set to raise tariffs on 30 steel items to 50 percent while allowing limited duty-free imports under tariff-rate quotas.
Lee asked the EU to give favorable consideration to South Korea, stressing that the country is both a free trade agreement partner and a strategic partner of the bloc.
Lee began the trip in Brussels on June 9 by meeting Korean residents in Belgium. The following day, he held talks with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever and met King Philippe, as the two countries marked the 125th anniversary of diplomatic relations. The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in areas including the economy and semiconductors.
President Lee Jae Myung (right) shakes hands with Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik after the cardinal delivered a homily during a special Mass at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome on Sunday. (Joint Press Corps via Yonhap)
Lee then traveled to Italy, where he paid a state visit from June 10 to 13. He held a summit with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and met Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, with the two countries elevating their ties to a “special strategic partnership” for the first time in eight years.
South Korea and Italy also signed four memorandums of understanding, including one on development cooperation, and adopted the 2026-2030 South Korea-Italy Strategic Action Plan. Lee also attended a bilateral business roundtable, encouraging cooperation in areas such as advanced industries, energy, aerospace and bio.
The president also sought international support for his policy of easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. On June 14 and 15, Lee visited the Vatican, attending a special Mass at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls and meeting Pope Leo XIV. The two discussed ways to support peace on the Korean Peninsula and improve inter-Korean relations.
At the G7 summit, Lee also held talks with Canadian Prime Minister M…
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