Lee returns from overseas trip with economic security gains, domestic tests ahead

President Lee Jae Myung returns home Monday after wrapping up the longest overseas trip of his presidency, an 11-day tour encompassing Germany, the United States and three South American countries that focused on securing artificial intelligence (AI) partnerships and broadening supply chains for critical minerals and energy. The trip offered the clearest picture yet of Lee’s economic diplomacy. Rather than centering on traditional security issues, he sought to strengthen Korea’s position in the global AI race while expanding access to strategic resources needed for semiconductors, batteries and other advanced industries. Attention now turns to whether those diplomatic gains can be translated into domestic policy and tangible economic results. Lee began the tour on July 24 in San Francisco, where he unveiled the San Francisco AI Declaration and laid out his vision for Korea’s role in the global AI industry. “Korea will become an indispensable player in the global AI supply chain,” Lee said. “Building on our world-leading expertise in memory chips and manufacturing capabilities