On Monday, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung hosted a South Korea-Brazil summit at the Blue House during Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s state visit. This marks the first state visit by a Brazilian president in 21 years, since President Lula’s previous visit in May 2005 during the Roh Moo Hyun administration.
President Lula arrived in South Korea on Sunday and reached the Blue House for the summit with President Lee on Monday morning. President Lee welcomed President Lula with the same level of ceremony afforded to U.S. President Donald Trump during his state visit in November 2017.
A ceremonial escort of over 70 musicians and a traditional honor guard accompanied President Lula and his wife, with around 280 individuals in attendance. A welcoming group of 25 children also greeted the couple.
President Lee expressed special affection for President Lula, who shares a similar background as a former child laborer, during their first meeting at the G7 summit in Canada last June. The state visit invitation and high honors extended to President Lula reflect this bond.
Both leaders have faced political adversity on their paths to the presidency. In his teens, President Lee suffered an accident where a printing press crushed his left arm, while President Lula lost his left pinky finger while working as a lathe operator.
Prior to the summit, President Lee posted on his X account that President Lula’s path, which has always been one step ahead in life and politics, closely mirrors his own journey, and welcomed him as his eternal comrade.
President Lee and the First Lady also showed their respect for President Lula through their attire. President Lee wore a navy suit with a gold tie symbolizing the Brazilian flag, while First Lady Kim Hye Kyung donned an outfit featuring green and yellow. The Blue House explained that this choice of colors signifies respect and a warm welcome to the Brazilian leader.
The two leaders, who have met twice at multilateral diplomatic events, embraced before the official welcoming ceremony. After the ceremony, President Lula signed the guestbook, prompting President Lee to applaud and remark that it was art.
Concurrently, First Lady Kim Hye Kyung met with First Lady Rosângela Lula da Silva in the Blue House’s Mugunghwa Room, where she presented a custom traditional hanbok as a gift. The two first ladies had their hanboks tailored together on Saturday at Gwangjang Market in Seoul.
President Lee ensured the highest level of protocol from the moment President Lula and his wife arrived in South Korea.
First Lady Rosângela da Silva had already arrived in South Korea on Thursday. Given her preference for a gluten-free diet, the accommodations featured a set of flower-shaped rice cakes and a white porcelain flower basket.
Upon President Lula’s arrival, he was gifted a cake decorated with a drawing of the couple, set against a green, yellow, and blue background—colors representing the Brazilian flag—along with the Portuguese phrase “Always Together.”