South Korean President Lee Jae-myung wrapped up an eight-day visit to European countries on June 17, touching down in Belgium, Italy, and the Vatican before arriving at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Évian-les-Bains, France. His trip was described as an effort to put Seoul’s European diplomacy into full swing, according to the Blue House.
Lee met European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on June 10 for the 11th summit between the EU and South Korea. Lee became the first South Korean president to visit Brussels and meet EU leaders in eight years. The leaders signed a new Digital Trade Agreement at a ceremony in Brussels.
During the meeting, the leaders endorsed the establishment of a High-Level Economic Dialogue and a competitiveness partnership to enhance economic resilience. A joint statement condemned support by third parties – in particular North Korea – for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and called on Moscow and Pyongyang to immediately cease all such activities and abide by the United Nations Charter. They also called for de-escalation and restraint in the Strait of Hormuz, urging dialogue and diplomacy over armed conflict to resolve tensions stemming from the war in the Middle East.
From Brussels, Lee flew to Rome for a state visit to Italy – the first by a South Korean president in 26 years. On June 11, Lee and Italian President Sergio Mattarella agreed to elevate bilateral relations to a special strategic partnership, pledging to expand cooperation in cutting-edge industries, energy security, and supply chain resilience. According to local media reports, Mattarella said the two countries plan to implement joint action plans through 2030 under the newly established partnership and expressed support for Seoul’s efforts to resume dialogue with North Korea.
The following day, Lee held a separate summit with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, their third meeting in under a year. The two sides signed four memorandums of understanding covering advanced science and technology, development cooperation in Africa, the social and solidarity economy, and small and medium enterprises. The two countries also announced a five-year strategic action plan through 2030 and agreed to increase people-to-people exchanges by 50 percent, to 1.5 million by 2034.
On June 14, Lee delivered a speech at a special Mass for peace and solidarity at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. He expressed his hope to help “create a virtuous cycle in which peace on the Korean Peninsula leads to peace in the world, and the solidarity of the world, in turn, helps secure peace on the Korean Peninsula.” Lee also called on the Vatican to continue playing a constructive role in efforts to promote peace and dialogue on the Korean Peninsula.
The following day, Lee met Pope Leo XIV at the Apostolic Palace and invited him to visit South Korea for World Youth Day 2027. The two leaders agreed to cooperate closely to ensure a successful hosting of the event. These were Lee’s first talks with the pope since his inauguration in June 2025, and the first meeting between a South Korean president and a pope since President Moon Jae-in met Pope Francis in October 2021. Speculation has grown in South Korea that the pope could meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his visit to South Korea next year, in line with the Lee administration’s pursuit of a thaw in inter-Korean relations.
After the audience, Lee met Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations.
Lee then headed to Évian-les-Bains, where he attended the expanded sessions of G7 as an invited partner. He highlighted the growing gap between rising development needs in developing countries and declining levels of international development assistance, stressing the need for new forms of cooperation between donor and recipient countries. He also called attention to disparities in access to AI technologies, arguing that AI-driven innovation should not deepen existing economic inequalities.
During a group photo session on June 16, U.S. President Donald Trump initiated a brief exchange with Lee, asking about the current state of inter-Korean relations. According to Kang Yu-jung, a senior presidential spokesperson, Lee told Trump that the U.S. president should also lead efforts for the peaceful resolution of the North Korean issue just as he had sought to resolve the war in the Middle East. Trump responded by expressing his intention to work toward such a resolution.
Lee met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on the sidelines of the G7. The two agreed to deepen cooperation in AI, energy, and defense while enhancing coordination on supply chain resilience and climate change. Lee also held talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and both sides agreed to strengthen strategic cooperation in defense, security, energy, and critical minerals. This year marks the second consecutive year South Korea has been invited to the G7 summit as a partner country.
Throughout Lee’s Europe tour, the North Korean issue emerged as a thread running through nearly every engagement. The EU joint statement condemned Pyongyang’s military support for Russia. At the Vatican, Lee appealed for the Holy See’s continued backing of inter-Korean dialogue. When Trump asked about inter-Korean relations during their brief conversation, Lee urged him to lead efforts toward a peaceful resolution of the North Korean issue.
The breadth of diplomatic ground covered in 10 days reflected Seoul’s push to ensure that the question of Korean Peninsula peace remains squarely on the agenda of its closest partners in Europe and beyond.
