Too Much Summit Diplomacy? ... Wi Sung-lac: "Demand Grows as Korea's Global Standing Rises"

Rebuts opposition criticism of "too much summit diplomacy"
"The first lady's attendance is customary"
"Same under any administration... unfair to criticize"

Wi Sung-lac, director of the National Security Office, pushed back on the opposition’s criticism on Oct. 30 that President Lee Jaemyung has too many summit diplomacy engagements, saying, “This is because our country’s international standing has risen considerably.” He also responded to criticism of First Lady Kim Hyekyung accompanying the president on overseas trips, explaining that “it is customary for the first lady to accompany the president on summit diplomacy trips.” His point was that the criticism fails to take into account the diplomatic demand created by the country’s standing and international customs.

Wi Sung-lac, director of the National Security Office, briefs reporters on current issues at the Blue House on Oct. 30, 2026. Yonhap News Agency

Wi made the remarks while speaking with reporters at the Blue House, addressing controversy over summit diplomacy raised the previous day during the National Assembly Steering Committee’s audit of the Presidential Secretariat and the National Security Office.

“At yesterday’s audit, opposition lawmakers in particular repeatedly said there was too much summit diplomacy,” Wi said. “I did not have a sufficient opportunity to explain at the time, so I would like to do so now.”

“Because our country’s international standing has risen considerably, there are several multilateral occasions throughout the year that our leaders need to attend,” he stressed. He cited the Group of Seven (G7), the Group of 20 (G20), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations General Assembly as key examples.

He added that the president also visits countries that have long sought visits by South Korean leaders, often in conjunction with attendance at multilateral meetings. He noted that there is strong demand for summit diplomacy with the United States given the close bilateral relationship, and that South Korea and Japan conduct shuttle diplomacy through reciprocal visits by their leaders.

“Taking these factors into account, the number of summit diplomacy engagements required over the course of a year is somewhat fixed,” Wi said. He explained that the schedule is not determined solely by the president’s personal choices or the diplomatic approach of a particular administration.

President Lee Jaemyung and First Lady Kim Hyekyung, returning home after visits to the United States and Mexico, get off Air Force One at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam on Sept. 27, 2026, and head to a vehicle. Yonhap News Agency.

Wi also pushed back against the controversy over First Lady Kim accompanying the president on overseas trips.

“As a matter of custom, these summit diplomacy trips are accompanied by the first ladies,” Wi said. “Even when we attend APEC, the first ladies come, and there are programs for them as well.” He added, “It is somewhat unfair to raise questions about whether there are too many summit diplomacy engagements or why the first lady is going.”

“This will be the same regardless of who becomes president next or which administration is in office,” he said, stressing that the characteristics of summit diplomacy should not be treated as an issue unique to any one administration.

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