President Lee Jae-myung (left) on June 16 shakes hands with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at a hotel in Calgary, Canada, on the sidelines of the G7 Summit.

By Xu Aiying

Photos = Yonhap News

President Lee Jae-myung on the afternoon of June 16 began his itinerary at the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Alberta, Canada, his debut in summit diplomacy as head of state.

He started things off that day with his first in-person summit as president with South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa.

"South Africa is Africa's largest economy and the gateway for Korea to enter the continent," President Lee said, urging the South African government to show interest in and support Korean companies in that country in sectors like energy and manufacturing.

President Ramaphosa congratulated the launch of the Lee administration, saying, "Korea and South Africa are valuable partners who share democracy," adding, "Let both countries reinforce cooperation in various sectors including politics and economy."

President Lee Jae-myung (left) and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on June 16 hold a summit at a hotel in Calgary, Canada. 

President Lee that day also held a summit with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

The prime minister said he was happy to meet President Lee in person after their phone conversation on June 12. Mentioning the longstanding trust and alliance between both countries, the Australian leader urged further development of active bilateral cooperation in sectors such as national defense, the defense industry, clean energy and supply chains for core minerals.

Both sides also agreed to keep boosting communication and cooperation to achieve sustainable progress in peace on the Korean Peninsula and resolution of North Korea's nuclear program. They also pledged to work together for Korea's successful hosting of this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in late October as charter APEC member states.

xuaiy@korea.kr