South Korean President Lee Jae Myung accepted an invitation to visit Mexico. President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo extended the invitation. The two leaders agreed during a phone call on Thursday morning. Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul confirmed the news. Therefore this Mexico visit would mark the first trip by a South Korean president since April 2016. Former President Park Geun-hye made that official visit nine years ago.
After Lee agreed to the Mexico visit, both leaders pledged to proceed with working-level preparations. Consequently they will hold more in-depth discussions on advancing bilateral relations. Senior presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung issued a written statement. The two leaders previously met at the G7 Summit last June. Moreover that meeting marked the first Korea-Mexico summit in nine years.
Kang noted that friendly exchanges have continued among high-level officials. For instance, the two leaders exchanged letters in January this year. Sheinbaum sent a letter to Lee requesting an additional BTS concert in Mexico. Then in February, Sheinbaum announced she had received a response from Lee.
BTS members met Sheinbaum for about 40 minutes on May 6. The meeting occurred ahead of their Mexico City concert later that day. At a press conference after the concert, Sheinbaum thanked Lee. She expressed gratitude for his support of the concert arrangements. Kang said both leaders found the event very impressive. Tens of thousands of fans gathered at Mexico City’s Zocalo Square. Consequently, Lee and Sheinbaum agreed to strengthen cultural exchange cooperation.
Lee congratulated Mexico on hosting the World Cup for a third time. Mexico became the first country to achieve this milestone. Kang relayed Lee’s wishes for Mexico’s success. During the call, Lee called on Sheinbaum to resume FTA negotiations. South Korea and Mexico stalled those talks in 2008. However both sides agreed to resume negotiations in 2022. Mexico remains South Korea’s largest trade partner in Latin America. Therefore Lee emphasized the need for prompt FTA resumption.
Lee noted that global economic uncertainty has grown. The Middle East war contributed to this instability. Both countries share similar positions on many issues. Consequently they should strengthen cooperation in energy and other fields. Sheinbaum responded with great interest in expanding cooperation with Korea. Thus this Mexico visit will now proceed with working-level preparations. Both governments will handle the logistics in coming weeks. The exact timing of the trip remains unannounced. Nevertheless diplomatic sources expect the visit to occur this year.
