President Lee Jae Myung (right) on Sept. 24 speaks to Polish President Karol Nawrocki at U.N. headquarters in New York. (Yonhap News)

By Xu Aiying

President Lee Jae Myung, visiting New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, has held successive meetings with the leaders of Italy, Poland, Uzbekistan and the Czech Republic on raising cooperation in sectors like artificial intelligence (AI), the defense industry and high-tech industries.

In talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Sept. 24, President Lee said, "The two countries share many commonalities including geographical location and national character," adding, "Let us further develop mutually beneficial cooperation in sectors such as AI and the defense industry."

Both leaders pledged to boost bilateral cooperation given their similar positions on international issues and expand opportunities amid complex global crises.

With Polish President Karol Nawrocki, President Lee agreed to expand cooperation beyond that of defense industry that the two sides have steadily developed, focusing on tanks, to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.

President Nawrocki mentioned the K2 Black Panther tanks his country bought from Korea, saying, "They are being delivered on schedule."

"I am well aware of the excellence of Korea's defense industry," he added, proposing further development of bilateral defense cooperation.

President Lee Jae Myung (right) and Uzbekistani President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Sept. 23 shake hands ahead of their summit at U.N. headquarters in New York. (Office of the President in Seoul)

Earlier on Sept. 23, President Lee held talks with Uzbekistani President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Czech President Petr Pavel.  

The summit with Uzbekistan agreed to expand bilateral economic cooperation, which holds high growth potential given Uzbekistan's abundant mineral resources, to create synergy. 

President Lee also asked for more attention and support for the roughly 170,000 Goryeoin (ethnic Koreans) in Uzbekistan, who can bridge the advancement of bilateral relations.

Speaking to President Pavel, President Lee thanked Czech support for Korean corporate investment and said he hopes bilateral cooperation will further expand and develop into sectors such as semiconductors, electric vehicles and the defense industry.

xuaiy@korea.kr