The President of Brazil visited Seoul and signed multiple agreements with South Korea's leader, including cooperation on health regulations to facilitate easier export of K-beauty cosmetic products to the Brazilian market, while elevating bilateral relations to a strategic partnership. The total trade value now exceeds 10 billion U.S. dollars per year.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva jointly signed several agreements in Seoul, with a key highlight being a memorandum of understanding to enhance cooperation on health sector regulations.
This agreement will reduce trade barriers and customs procedures for South Korean skincare and cosmetic products, known as "K-beauty," making it easier for these goods to access Brazil—one of the world's largest beauty markets. President Lee stated, "K-beauty products will become more accessible to Brazilian consumers than ever before."
Beyond cooperation in the beauty business, both leaders agreed to elevate bilateral relations to a "strategic partnership." Currently, trade between the two countries exceeds 10 billion U.S. dollars annually (approximately 300 billion baht), with Brazil being one of South Korea's largest trading partners in South America.
The meeting atmosphere was warm. President Lee praised President Lula's history of struggle, noting that both began from difficult circumstances. Lee shared that he once worked illegally in factories to support his family as a child, while Lula left school to sell peanuts and worked as a shoeshine boy.
President Lee said, "Your life journey overcoming hardship as a young laborer proves that democracy is the most powerful tool for social and economic development." He also expressed support for Lula's fight after being imprisoned in 2018 before being released and fully exonerated later.
On this occasion, South Korea's Presidential Office prepared a warm welcome for Lula and his wife, Rosangela, presenting a brightly colored cake modeled as sugar sculptures of their smiling faces to symbolize the strong friendship between the two countries.
,AFP