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President Lee departs for Asean summit, expected to meet with Cambodian, Chinese, Japanese officials

Published: 26 Oct. 2025, 15:46 Updated: 29 Oct. 2025, 14:54

President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hae Kyung leave from the Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi on Oct. 26 for a two-day visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Lee Jae Myung left for Malaysia on Sunday to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit, his third multilateral diplomatic engagement since taking office.

Lee departed from Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi in the morning with first lady Kim Hae Kyung, beginning a two-day visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. His previous overseas trips included the G7 summit in Canada in June and the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month.

Lee was seen off at the airport by Interior Minister Yoon Ho-jung; Democratic Party leaders Rep. Jung Chung-rae and floor leader Kim Byung-ki; Malaysian Ambassador to Korea Dato' Mohd Zamruni bin Khalid; presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik; First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo; and Air Force Col. Lee Hyun-hee, the commander of the 15th Special Missions Wing.

Upon arriving in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday afternoon, Lee will begin his itinerary with dinner with Korean residents. The president is expected to commend the achievements of the Korean community in Malaysia and pledge expanded government support and cultural exchange.

On Monday morning, Lee will hold a bilateral summit with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet. The meeting, requested by Phnom Penh, is expected to focus on strengthening the countries' strategic partnership and expanding cooperation against online scam networks that have victimized Korean nationals in Cambodia.

Lee will then attend the Korea–Asean Summit, where he plans to outline a new vision for deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between Korea and the regional bloc. According to National Security Advisor Wi Sung-lac, the president will emphasize elevating annual bilateral trade, which now totals $200 billion, and promoting stronger cooperation in future-oriented sectors such as artificial intelligence.

During the following Asean Plus Three Summit — involving Korea, China and Japan — Lee is expected to call for closer trilateral cooperation on digital connectivity, food and energy security and sustainable development. His goal, officials said, is to strengthen coordination among the three Northeast Asian powers through Asean-led initiatives and create “a virtuous cycle of regional cooperation.”

Later in the day, Lee will hold a separate bilateral meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, whose country chairs Asean this year. The two leaders are expected to discuss ways to deepen their strategic partnership and boost practical cooperation in the trade, investment, infrastructure and defense industries.

President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hye Kyung leave from the Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi on Oct. 26 for a two-day visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Although the Asean summit continues through Monday evening, Lee will return to Seoul earlier in the day to prepare for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju.

After returning home, Lee will travel to Gyeongju on Wednesday and remain there through Nov. 1 for the APEC meetings. During the summit, he is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with U.S. President Donald Trump on Oct. 29 and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Nov. 1.

The presidential office is also arranging a summit with the newly inaugurated Japanese prime minister, Sanae Takaichi. Additional bilateral meetings with the leaders of Canada, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore are planned as Seoul seeks to expand its diplomatic network amid shifting global alliances.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]