Source: Government of the Republic of Korea
Along with fellow Koreans, I would like to sincerely welcome President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his Brazilian delegation to Korea.
Today will be recorded as a historic day marking a new leap forward in our two countries’ relations.
Despite the geographical distance between Korea and Brazil, which are situated on opposite sides of the globe, our two countries have maintained close cooperation based on our complementary economic structures.
Our bilateral trade has steadily increased, exceeding US$10 billion annually over the past five years. The scope of our cooperation has been expanding to include promising future-oriented sectors such as space, biohealth and pharmaceuticals, as well as the culture industry.
Building on this solid foundation of cooperation, President Lula and I agreed to elevate our bilateral ties to the level of a Strategic Partnership.
The Action Plan to Implement the Brazil-Korea Strategic Partnership 2026-2029 adopted today will serve as a roadmap for developing our relations across a wide range of areas, including political and economic affairs as well as substantive cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.
Allow me to elaborate on the outcomes of today’s summit.
First, President Lula and I agreed on the importance of further expanding mutually beneficial economic cooperation between our two countries.
Brazil is a key member of MERCOSUR.
I explained the need to promptly resume negotiations for the Korea–MERCOSUR Trade Agreement, and President Lula shared the view that concluding the Agreement is an urgent and important task.
We also concurred that, based on our mutual trust, we should work together to create a breakthrough.
Second, at this summit, we adopted ten Memoranda of Understanding and Arrangement, committing to establishing a framework for implementing substantive cooperation by sector.
The MOU on bilateral cooperation in the field of small and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurship will serve as a crucial opportunity for expanding our bilateral trade and investment that were mostly focused on large businesses, to include SMEs.
I believe that the MOU on regulatory cooperation in the field of health-related products, will enable K-cosmetics, already gaining wide popularity in Brazil, to attract even more Brazilian consumers.
Three MOUs were also signed in the agricultural sector. Brazil is one of the largest agricultural powerhouses with advanced farming technologies. Cooperating with Brazil is vital for the Republic of Korea’s food security.
I believe that the MOUs concluded on this occasion will help strengthen cooperation on next-generation agricultural technologies and foster the growth of both our countries’ rural economies in a sustainable, mutually beneficial way.
We will also expand the horizons of bilateral cooperation in such future-oriented sectors as outer space, defense, and aviation.
The attempt to launch Korea’s first-ever commercial launch vehicle, Hanbit-Nano, at Brazil’s Alcântara Space Center last December, has played an integral role in advancing our two countries’ space cooperation. We are confident that Hanbit-Nano will be launched successfully in the near future.
We are also engaging in supply chain cooperation for the aviation sector, with Korean parts manufacturers participating in the production of Brazilian transport aircraft.
Going forward, our bilateral cooperation will be elevated further still, including through jointly developing next-generation commercial aircraft.
Third, with Brazil being a long-standing partner for Korea and a leader of the Global South, we agreed to consult closely on global affairs and regional issues.
I highly commend Brazil for taking the lead on global agendas such as addressing climate change and restoring multilateralism, under the steadfast leadership of President Lula.
We two leaders shared the view that peace on the Korean Peninsula carries profound implications not only for peace in Northeast Asia but throughout the entire world.
As I always emphasize, true peace – a state where there is no need to fight – is indeed the strongest form of security, though difficult to achieve.
I fully conveyed to President Lula our government’s unwavering commitment to resuming inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation, and to ushering in a future of peaceful coexistence and shared growth.
I am confident that our two countries will work together to uphold the values of peace – not only on the Korean Peninsula but around the world.
Fourth, I expect that this State Visit to Korea will serve as an opportunity to further deepen the trust and friendship between our two peoples.
Last year, the number of Brazilians visiting Korea increased by over 25 percent, and Brazilians’ interest in learning the Korean language continues to grow. As this shows, K-culture is connecting our countries, crossing continents and oceans. Brazilian culture, in turn, has had a significant influence on Korea. Bossa nova classics like The Girl from Ipanema have inspired many K-pop songwriters.
We two leaders agreed to further strengthen friendly relations between our peoples by promoting Korean language education in Brazil and boosting bilateral student exchanges.
Moreover, by building on the strong competitiveness of our two countries’ film industries, we will also pursue content exchanges through coproduction of films and other types of audiovisual productions.
Above all, today’s summit was truly significant in that we were able to share a common vision and goals for improving our peoples’ lives.
President Lula presented a prominent role model for “inclusive growth” which demonstrated that economic development and the eradication of poverty can be achieved in tandem. He successfully put that idea into practice.
This aligns with our government’s key initiative of creating a model for sustainable growth while also fostering a dynamic economy based on a society where basic livelihoods are assured.
In this respect, I elaborated on a vision for an “AI Basic Society” where everyone can benefit from advances in AI technology. I also proposed that our two countries conduct joint research into policies that will create synergy between welfare and economic growth. We will explore specific measures to increase cooperation and exchanges in policy research between our two countries.
Once again, I deeply welcome President Lula and First Lady Janja on their State Visit to Korea. I look forward to seeing you again soon and continuing today’s discussions in an even more constructive manner.
Thank you – Muito Obrigado!