President Lee to Attend ASEAN Summit in Philippines, APEC Summit in China Nov. 16-19... "Seeks Separate Meetings with Major Leaders"

Strengthening cooperation on energy supply chains and transnational crime
Wi: "President Lee to make separate remarks at several meetings"
On the possibility of U.S.-North Korea contact: "Likelihood considered low"

President Lee Jae Myung will visit the Philippines and China in succession from Nov. 16 to 19 to attend ASEAN-related summits and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit. He will call for a coordinated regional response to energy supply chain instability stemming from the Middle East and transnational crimes such as online scams, and pursue international cooperation to restore the multilateral trading system. He is also set to focus on multilateral diplomacy covering economic and security issues, including securing international support for resuming inter-Korean and U.S.-North Korea dialogue.

President Lee Jae-myung speaks at a Cabinet meeting held at the Blue House on Nov. 10, 2026. Yonhap News Agency

Wi Sung-lac, director of the National Security Office, announced the schedule at a pre-visit briefing held at the Blue House on Nov. 12. President Lee will attend ASEAN-related summits in Manila, the Philippines, on Nov. 16 and 17, then travel to Shenzhen, China, for APEC Summit events on Nov. 18 and 19. On the main goals of the trip, Wi said, "We will take the lead in discussing solutions to shared regional challenges, including energy supply chains, transnational crime and food security, and highlight South Korea's contributions."

Wi added, "At the APEC Summit, we will call for measures to respond to shocks to energy supply chains stemming from the Middle East and for cooperation to restore the multilateral trading system." South Korea also plans to lead discussions on crisis response in the food and energy sectors at the ASEAN+3 Summit.

South Korea will also focus its diplomatic efforts on expanding economic cooperation with ASEAN. At the Korea-ASEAN Summit on Nov. 16, President Lee is expected to share progress in implementing the "Korea-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) Vision," which he presented in 2025, and propose ways to cooperate in future growth areas such as artificial intelligence (AI) and cultural and creative industries. Wi said, "We will propose ways to strengthen cooperation in future fields, including AI and cultural and creative industries, in ASEAN, our second-largest region for trade and investment, and lay the groundwork for our companies to continue expanding their presence there."

Cooperation on law enforcement to combat transnational crime is also a key agenda item. At the Korea-Mekong Summit on the same day, President Lee will discuss strengthening the framework for responding to transnational crime, along with cooperation on critical minerals. Wi explained that investigative cooperation between the Korean National Police Agency and ASEANAPOL, proposed by President Lee in 2025, has been realized as the first police cooperation project between Korea and ASEAN. He added, "Another safety net is being established to protect Korean nationals in ASEAN, a region visited by 9 million of our citizens each year."

On Nov. 17, President Lee will attend the ASEAN+3 Summit and the East Asia Summit (EAS). This will be his first time attending the EAS since taking office. Wi said, "We intend to state our government's position on key regional issues, including online scams, and share our government's vision for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula."

Diplomatic efforts to resume inter-Korean and U.S.-North Korea dialogue will proceed in parallel. Wi said, "We plan to call on countries in the region to continue supporting and making constructive contributions to our government's efforts to resume inter-Korean and U.S.-North Korea dialogue and establish lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula."

President Lee, who will arrive in Shenzhen, China, on Nov. 18, will begin his official schedule with the APEC CEO Summit. That day, he will also attend a welcoming dinner hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife. At the APEC Summit plenary session on Nov. 19, he will discuss ways to promote regional economic cooperation with leaders from participating economies under the theme "Building an Asia-Pacific Community for Shared Prosperity: Openness, Innovation, and Cooperation."

Wi said, "We will work to establish as key APEC agenda items the discussions on AI cooperation and responses to demographic change that we led at the 2025 APEC Summit in Gyeongju." This means South Korea aims to maintain continuity on the key agenda items it put forward as host in 2025 and lead discussions on regional economic cooperation.

President Lee will also seek separate meetings with leaders of major countries during the trip. Wi said, "We will build mutual trust and further strengthen practical cooperation through separate engagements with leaders of major countries in various formats." He added, "The specific schedule for bilateral meetings is being prepared and has not yet been finalized, so we plan to announce it later. President Lee is expected to speak at several meetings."

Meanwhile, the possibility of contact between North Korea and the United States on the sidelines of this year's APEC meeting was viewed as generally low. A senior Blue House official said, "We do not believe there is a strong likelihood of contact between North Korea and the United States," adding, "We also believe the chances of North Korea participating in a multilateral forum are low."

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