Arm-in-Arm, Hugs, Hand Hearts, Shoulder-to-Shoulder... Former Child Laborers Lee and Lula Share a Remarkable Summit

President Lee Makes State Visit to Brazil
136-Minute Summit Held at Alvorada Palace Instead of the Presidential Office
Fourth Leader Welcomed, Following Xi Jinping, Narendra Modi, and Jacques Chirac
President Lee Injured His Arm on a Press

As the car carrying President Lee Jae-myung and the First Lady approached the Alvorada Palace, the official presidential residence in Brasilia, it was flanked on both sides by six cavalry guards. Both cavalry and an honor guard lined the driveway, and at the end of the red carpet stood Brazilian President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, wearing a straw hat with a green band, waiting to greet them.

President Lee Jae-myung and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva are taking a commemorative photo ahead of their summit at the Presidential Palace in Brasilia on the 27th (local time). July 28, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News.

At 10:39 a.m. on the 27th (local time), the two leaders embraced each other. Smiling and chatting, they linked arms as they entered the palace after the official welcoming ceremony. Three hours later, when they entered together for the memorandum of understanding signing ceremony and a joint press conference, they walked in arm in arm once more. This summit marked the third meeting between the two presidents, following their encounters in June last year and in February; the talks lasted for 136 minutes, far exceeding the originally scheduled 90 minutes.

The choice of venue for the summit was a demonstration of President Lula's exceptional hospitality. While the Brazilian president typically works at the Palácio do Planalto, this meeting was held at the Alvorada Palace, the official presidential residence. Designed by Oscar Niemeyer, the Alvorada Palace serves as both the president's living space and an architectural symbol of Brasilia. By welcoming President Lee not to the official office but to his residence, President Lula extended a special gesture of respect. This was only the fourth time President Lula, now serving his third term, had held a summit at his residence—following meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and former French President Jacques Chirac.

During the joint press conference, President Lee mentioned that he was told he was the fourth foreign leader to be received at the Alvorada Palace, expressing his gratitude and saying, "I consider it a true honor and am sincerely grateful." President Lula put it in his own candid style, stating, "When I visited Korea in February, I received an incredibly special welcome. I wanted to extend a welcome here that was at least comparable—at least 90% as warm as the one I received."

President Lee, before discussing the results of the summit, first touched on the physical scars both leaders bear from their youth as factory workers, saying, "Just as you are missing a finger on your left hand, I also injured my left arm while working at a factory as a child." Due to his family's financial circumstances, President Lee had gone to work in a factory instead of school, where he injured his left arm during a pressing job, leading to a disability from long-term complications. President Lula also worked from a young age to support his family and lost his left pinky finger in an accident while working at a metal factory.

President Lee stated, "Although I currently have a disability, it does not hinder my life or my commitment to working for others. It always reminds me of my obligation to continuously consider even more people and to ensure that the overwhelming majority can live better lives."

President JaeMyung Lee, who paid a state visit to Brazil, is seen greeting President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva with a hug at the welcoming ceremony held in front of the presidential residence in Brasilia on July 27, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News

He also announced plans to visit the metalworkers’ union office in São Paulo, where President Lula led labor movements in his younger days, during the Korea-Brazil Business Roundtable (BRT). President Lee said, "There, I will reflect again on your dream to never forget the reality of workers and to tirelessly strive for a better life for everyone. I hope, both the president and I, do not lose our worker identity, and that we can continue our efforts together for a better life for more people."

Earlier, President Lula remarked, "People who have struggled from a young age treasure every single opportunity. Because both the president and I grew up in extremely difficult environments, we know the importance of each and every citizen, each student, and each worker." He continued, "We all know that education, labor, and democracy can change both a person's destiny and that of a nation."

Even as the joint press conference concluded, President Lula said in Korean, "Gachi gapsida" ("Let's go together"), to which President Lee responded with a Brazilian proverb, "We become stronger together."

President Lee Jae-myung and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva are making finger heart gestures toward the press after concluding a joint press conference at the presidential residence in Brasilia on the 27th (local time). 2026.7.28 Yonhap News Agency

The warmth between the two leaders continued into the evening. At the cultural performance and reception held at the Itamaraty Palace, the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President Lula and the First Lady came out to the entrance to await President Lee and the First Lady. The two presidential couples exchanged greetings with handshakes and light hugs. When posing for a commemorative photo, President Lula raised both thumbs, and President Lee responded by raising one thumb as well. Midway up a spiral staircase, the two presidents shook hands again and posed for the press. In front of the reception hall, both presidential couples joined hands and made finger-heart gestures.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.