Key facts
- Lee planned to attend a South Korea-ASEAN summit and a summit with the five Mekong countries in Manila, Yonhap reported.
- On November 17 he was scheduled to join an ASEAN Plus Three summit and a 16-country East Asia Summit.
- The APEC summit in Shenzhen on November 18 and 19 includes a CEO summit and a dinner hosted by Xi Jinping.
- National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said Lee would seek support for Seoul's peaceful coexistence policy toward North Korea.
President Lee Jae Myung was set to depart Seoul on November 16, 2026, for a four-day trip to the ASEAN summit in Manila and the APEC summit in Shenzhen, Yonhap reported.
At the ASEAN summit beginning November 16 in Manila, Lee was to take part in a South Korea-ASEAN summit on regional cooperation, followed by a summit with leaders of the five Mekong countries: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. On November 17 he was scheduled to attend an ASEAN Plus Three summit with leaders of ASEAN countries, South Korea, China and Japan, and an East Asia Summit involving 16 countries in East Asia.
On November 18 and 19, Lee was set to attend the APEC summit in Shenzhen, which includes a CEO summit, a dinner banquet hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping and the main summit under the theme "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together."
On the sidelines, Lee was expected to hold bilateral talks with participating leaders, including Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., both later on November 16.
National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said Lee planned to strengthen mutual trust and cooperation with other heads of state through bilateral and multilateral meetings and to highlight South Korea's contributions to regional challenges including energy supply chains, transnational crimes and food security. Wi said Lee also planned to ask ASEAN and APEC members to support Seoul's peaceful coexistence policy toward North Korea and to convey a "positive message" in favor of peace and security on the Korean Peninsula.