President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hea Kyung arrive at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, south of Seoul, after a four-nation swing to the Middle East and Africa on Wednesday. (Yonhap)
President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hea Kyung arrive at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, south of Seoul, after a four-nation swing to the Middle East and Africa on Wednesday. (Yonhap)

President Lee Jae Myung returned home Wednesday from his four-nation swing to the Middle East and Africa, where he focused on expanding economic ties with the Global South and engaged in multilateral diplomacy at the Group of 20 summit.

Lee made a 10-day visit to the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Turkey, undertaken on the occasion of his attendance at the G20 summit in South Africa, exploring ways to boost economic cooperation in defense, nuclear energy, infrastructure and cultural industries.

The G20 meeting marked the final leg of his multilateral diplomacy this year, following his attendance at the Group of Seven summit, the UN General Assembly, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit and South Korea's hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

During summits with the leaders of the UAE, Egypt and Turkey, Lee discussed ways to deepen economic partnerships with countries seen as key to South Korea's trade, energy security and long-term strategic cooperation.

In Cairo, Lee unveiled the SHINE initiative, which stands for stability, harmony, innovation, network and education, and is aimed at deepening South Korea's engagement in the Middle East and supporting sustainable regional collaboration.(Yonhap)