(ATTN: RECASTS headline; UPDATES)

By Park Boram

SEOUL, July 24 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung left Friday for San Francisco, where he will begin his 11-day overseas trip that includes visits to three South American countries, his first visit to the region since taking office in June 2025.

During a two-day visit to San Francisco from Friday (local time), the president will meet with the heads of four global tech giants, including OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman and Nvidia chief Jensen Huang, to discuss investment and cooperation plans. The other tech firms are Anthropic and Broadcom.

In a high-level event on artificial intelligence (AI) later in the day, the president plans to issue a "San Francisco AI declaration," outlining South Korea's vision for advancing the AI industry and enhancing global cooperation, according to presidential officials.

From Sunday through Wednesday, Lee will pay a state visit to Brazil as part of broader efforts to expand South Korea's diplomatic and economic outreach in South America.

The trip will include a summit with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the capital, Brasilia, and a business roundtable involving South Korean and Brazilian companies in Sao Paulo.

On Thursday and Friday, the South Korean president will visit Chile and Argentina, respectively, for summit talks with Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast and Argentine President Javier Milei.

The planned engagements with the three South American countries, which are rich in natural resources, are expected to help establish economic and security partnerships, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said earlier.

On Sunday, the president will make a stopover in Frankfurt, Germany, where he will meet with South Korean residents there before returning home the following day.

pbr@yna.co.kr

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