Seoul, Nov 17 (IANS) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung departed Monday for the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Johannesburg, embarking on his four-nation swing to the Middle East and Africa, as South Korea seeks to diversify its diplomatic ties in the Global South.

The first leg of his trip is the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Lee will arrive in Abu Dhabi later in the day for a three-day state visit, during which he will hold summit talks with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss cooperation in the defence industry, artificial intelligence and other strategic sectors, Yonhap news agency reported.

Lee will then travel to Cairo, Egypt, for a three-day official visit. He is scheduled to hold talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and deliver an address at Cairo University outlining Seoul's initiatives for the Middle East.

In Johannesburg, he will attend the G20 summit on Saturday and Sunday, where he is expected to pledge South Korea's expanded role in promoting inclusive, sustainable growth, and addressing climate change and other global issues.

Lee is also scheduled to meet with leaders from MIKTA -- a group of middle powers composed of South Korea, Mexico, Indonesia, Turkey and Australia -- on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

He will conclude the trip with a two-day state visit to Ankara for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on bilateral cooperation and will return home on November 26.

Lee expects his visits to the UAE, Egypt and Turkey to yield practical outcomes in the defense industry and advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, under his pragmatic diplomacy, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said Friday.

Wi said Lee's first trip to the Middle East and Africa since taking office in June is expected to lay the groundwork for his efforts to expand outreach to the Global South, broadly referring to developing economies located in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Lee's participation in the G20 summit following his attendance at the Group of 7 summit in Canada in June and his hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in October -- will mark the final event of this year's multilateral diplomacy.

--IANS

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