Lee to speak at UN alongside Trump, with chance for 2nd meeting

President Lee Jae Myung will deliver his address to the United Nations General Assembly on the same day US President Donald Trump is scheduled to speak, drawing attention to whether the two leaders will hold a second meeting, following their August summit in Washington.

Lee is set to attend the 80th UN General Assembly High-Level Week in New York and deliver his keynote address on Sept. 23, the opening day of the high-level General Debate, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said Tuesday in a televised briefing.

In his speech, Lee “will share South Korea’s experience in overcoming and recovering from crises of democracy with the international community and will present our government’s vision and policies on major global issues, including Korean Peninsula affairs,” Kang added.

The General Assembly convenes every year in regular session commencing on the Tuesday of the third week in September,

The UN General Assembly High-Level Week serves as the world’s largest multilateral diplomatic stage, bringing together leaders and senior representatives from all 193 member states.

Lee’s meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the General Assembly — his second multilateral diplomatic appearance since his inauguration — have raised questions about the possibility of another meeting with Trump following their first summit on Aug. 25 in Washington.

With the two leaders previously agreeing on the need to revive talks with North Korea, attention now shifts to whether a meeting in New York will materialize and advance discussions on North Korean issues.

Should a Lee-Trump meeting take place in New York, it could also serve as a bridge to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit scheduled for Oct. 31 to Nov. 1 in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, which Trump is expected to attend.

Adding to the diplomatic stakes, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who faces political headwinds at home, is also expected to attend the UN General Assembly.

If a trilateral gathering of the leaders of South Korea, the US and Japan were to take place, it would serve as a symbolic reaffirmation of continued trilateral cooperation under the second Trump administration, this time on the margins of the UN General Assembly.

However, Kang said, “While the UN gathering of leaders from around the world may provide opportunities for summit diplomacy, it is not yet at a stage where specific schedules can be disclosed.”

Lee will also preside over a high-level open debate at the UN Security Council as South Korea assumes the council’s rotating presidency, marking the first time a South Korean president has done so during a UN General Assembly.

The Sept. 25 debate will focus on the theme "Artificial Intelligence and International Peace and Security."

“This meeting will discuss the opportunities and challenges that the rapid development of AI technology may pose to international peace and security, and will seek ways for a joint response by the international community,” Kang further explained.

A country holding the presidency of the 15-member UN Security Council has the privilege to set the agenda for open debates and thematic discussions during its month.

“Artificial intelligence — AI — for us is truly a future source of livelihood, or otherwise a future key industrial sector of ours, and an area for cultivating talent through both industry and academia,” Kang said of the rationale behind South Korea’s focus on the topic.

Kang said the high-level open debate will focus on the “dual nature of AI,” examining both its opportunities and risks for peace and sustainable prosperity, within the Security Council’s mandate to safeguard international peace and security.

South Korea began its two-year tenure as a nonpermanent member of the UN Security Council at the start of 2024.

September marks the second time South Korea has assumed the presidency during its current tenure, following June 2024. The presidency of the council rotates in alphabetical order of the member states‘ names, with each holding the position for one month.

The UN Security Council — the sole authority empowered to render legally binding decisions on the 193 UN member states — plays a pivotal role in the global collective security system.