By Micah Jonah, February 23, 2026
South Korean President, Lee Jae Myung held summit talks in Seoul on Monday with Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, where they agreed to expand cooperation in sectors including trade, key minerals, technology, culture.
The leaders plan to elevate the bilateral relationship into a strategic partnership, and for the countries to work together in supporting stability on the Korean Peninsula, Lee said.
“Peace, built on conditions where conflict isn’t needed, is the strongest form of security,” the South Korean president told a joint press conference.
The leaders oversaw the signing of 10 memorandum of understanding (MoU) covering trade and industrial policy, core minerals, digital economy including AI, agriculture, health and biotech, small-business exchanges, and joint policing against cybercrime, narcotics, and other transnational threats.
Lee said the two sides adopted a four-year action plan to map out concrete steps for expanding bilateral cooperation, from strategic minerals to defense and space industries, as well as food security.
Brazil is South Korea’s largest trading partner in South America, making economic cooperation a key part of the agenda. Lula said Brazil holds large rare-earth reserves and substantial nickel deposits, and his government hopes to attract investment from South Korean companies.
Lee welcomed Lula, who is in Seoul for his first state visit in 21 years, noting similarities in their backgrounds. “As a former child labourer, you proved with your whole life that democracy is the most powerful tool for social, economic progress,” Lee wrote.
The leaders, who first met at the G7 summit in Canada last year and later at the G20 summit in South Africa, appeared to bond over shared experiences of childhood factory work and workplace injuries.
The talks took place in South Korea’s Presidential Blue House, with a state banquet scheduled for Monday evening – featuring barbecue dishes and Brazilian bossa nova performed by a Korean jazz band alongside a children’s choir.
