Speech by President Lula at the closing of the Brazil–Republic of Korea Business Forum

I would like to greet the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy of the Republic of Korea, Kim Jung-kwan.

I would like to greet my friends, the Brazilian ministers: Mauro Vieira, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Fernando Haddad, Minister of Finance; Márcio Fernando Elias Rosa, Minister of Development, Industry and Trade; Carlos Fávaro, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock; Alexandre Padilha, Minister of Health; Márcio França, Minister of Entrepreneurship; Frederico Siqueira Filho, Minister of Communications; Luciana Santos, Minister of Science and Technology; and Marina Silva, Minister of the Environment.

Our dear Governor of the State of Bahia, Jerônimo Rodrigues. Senator Eliziane Gama; and Federal Deputies Clodoaldo Magalhães, Dorinaldo Malafaia, Jorge Solla, and Zé Neto.

My dear Jin Roy Ryu, President of the Federation of Korean Industries.

My dear Jorge Viana, President of the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, ApexBrasil.

Our dear Taciana Medeiros, President of Banco do Brasil, a public bank of great importance in my country.

Well, friends in business. Dear Brazilian business leaders, women entrepreneurs, and distinguished guests from Brazil and Korea.

It is always a joy to hold a meeting with people who know how to do business.

I often say that the role of the President of the Republic is simply to open the gate so that people may move freely across our borders.

Those who know how to do business are the entrepreneurs.

If we do not create the conditions for business leaders to meet one another, to become familiar with the products each country manufactures and sells, trade will always remain small.

And trade between Brazil and the Republic of Korea is still very small. Last year, it amounted to only 11 billion dollars.

That is very small, given the potential of the Korean economy and the Brazilian economy.

This means that, although some Korean companies have been in Brazil for quite some time, Brazil still needs to promote itself more effectively, to publicize itself better, so that we can ensure our trade far surpasses the 11 billion dollars we reached in 2025.

I firmly believe that, in the first quarter of the twenty-first century, it is not possible for us to accept the idea that multilateralism no longer makes sense.

The attempt to put an end to multilateralism. The attempt to bring back something we do not want to see return, protectionism, which makes it harder for countries’ economies to grow. There is no justification for that.

The freer trade is, the better it will be for the Republic of Korea, the better it will be for Brazil, and the better it will be for the world.

What we need is to ensure that our economies grow and generate job opportunities, so that we can improve the quality of life of the people we represent.

There is no other way to make things happen without development in our countries.

Brazil is open to doing business with the Republic of Korea.

That is the purpose of my visit to the Republic of Korea. The more we practice multilateralism, the more we create conditions to sell and to buy, the more we adopt policies that encourage companies to establish themselves in different countries, the more we will contribute to global economic development.

Because there are still 760 million people who go to bed every night without having anything to eat.

We must understand that only development and work can allow us to solve the problem of hunger.

It is important to remember that last year, the world spent 2.4 trillion dollars on weapons and wars.

And we did not spend even 10 percent of that to reduce hunger or the diseases that claim many lives in this country, because people lack access to doctors and medicine.

It is with this conviction that I travel the world to promote my country.

And, like every Brazilian, I am going to show off a little, just as our agricultural sector so often does.

It is important for you to know that Brazil is a major exporter of beef; Brazil is a major exporter of poultry; Brazil exports large volumes of pork; and Brazil also exports a significant amount of eggs, including to the Republic of Korea.

In addition to being the world’s largest producer of coffee, one of the largest producers of cotton, one of the largest producers of corn, and one of the largest producers of soybeans, Brazil is perhaps the world’s largest exporter of animal protein.

Just to give you an idea, Brazil has a cattle herd of approximately 240 million head.

In Brazil, my dear Fernando Haddad, 150,000 heads of cattle are slaughtered every day. Every day.

In Brazil, 25 million chickens are slaughtered every day.

And more than that, in Brazil, hens produce 1,800 eggs per second. Sixty billion eggs per year.

This means that whenever the people of the Republic of Korea want access to protein, they need not worry. Brazil will be ready to meet Korea’s demand.

And more than that, if you buy beef from the United States, you may very well be buying Brazilian beef.

If you buy beef from Australia, you may be buying Brazilian beef.

If you buy beef from New Zealand, you may also be buying Brazilian beef.

Because Brazil is present all over the world, producing protein to meet the demand of people who want to eat well but do not want to gain weight.

So protein is a good recipe for anyone who enjoys it.

Well, my friends,

That concludes my promotion of Brazilian agribusiness.

My visit to Seoul would not be complete without taking part in this business forum.

It is symbolic that our countries are today led by two presidents who come from working-class backgrounds.

Permanent dialogue among governments, workers, and employers is the main pillar of a strong and inclusive economy.

The world of work is undergoing transformation.

The Korean philosopher Byung-Chul Han says that we live in a “society of fatigue,” in which pressure for performance affects the balance between personal and professional life.

In Brazil, we are discussing the end of the so-called six-days-on, one-day-off work schedule, to ensure that workers have two days of rest per week.

Technology has enabled us to reach levels of productivity that were once unimaginable.

It is time to think about people’s well-being.

Brazil has much to learn from the Republic of Korea.

In the 1960s, Korea’s per capita GDP was less than half of Brazil’s.

Today, it is three times higher.

Until the 1980s, Brazil’s industrial production was greater than Korea’s.

Today, this country is one of the world’s leading technological centers.

In the 1990s, while Brazil surrendered to the neoliberal playbook, Korea continued to invest in the strategic role of the State in key sectors.

No country that entered the industrial race late has managed to climb the development ladder without strong public policies.

The Korean experience shows that raising the educational level of the population is a valuable investment.

It also shows that sustained growth depends on a diversified and sophisticated economy, capable of absorbing skilled labor.

In recent years, Brazil has consolidated its position as one of the world’s breadbaskets.

In 2025, we recorded the largest harvest in our history, reaching 350 million tons of grains.

We are an agricultural powerhouse, and we are proud to contribute to global food security.

But a country’s resilience, especially in times of global turbulence and a return of protectionism, depends on diversifying its economic base and its trade relations.

We see in the Republic of Korea a strategic partner to achieve these two objectives.

For years, Brazil has been the leading destination for Korean investment in Latin America.

Companies such as Samsung, Hyundai, and LG are present in Brazilian households.

Korea is already the fourth largest Asian investor in Brazil, with an investment stock of 9 billion dollars.

This volume has the potential to grow.

Over the past three years, Brazil has launched important initiatives such as the Growth Acceleration Program [Programa de Aceleração de Crescimento /PAC], the New Industry Brazil Program [Programa Nova Indústria Brasil /NIB], the Green Mobility and Innovation Program [Programa Mobilidade Verde e Inovação /MOVER], and the Ecological Transformation Plan.

All of these programs offer favorable conditions for foreign investors interested in bringing technological innovation and sustainable solutions.

We provide legal certainty and economic, political, and social stability.

Our socioeconomic indicators are improving.

We have the lowest unemployment rate in our history.

We have a robust energy matrix with a strong share of renewable sources.

The deforestation rate recorded in the Amazon in 2025 was the lowest of the decade, representing a 50 percent reduction compared to 2022.

We have a large domestic market and serve as a gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean.

Collaboration with Korean companies in knowledge-intensive sectors is a priority for us.

Korea is the world’s second largest producer of semiconductors and holds a significant share of the global battery market.

Brazil possesses critical minerals that are essential inputs for the production chains of electronics and electric vehicles.

We are a reliable partner at a time when arbitrariness is becoming the rule.

The role of mere exporters of raw materials does not reflect our potential.

We seek partnerships that allow us to add value and produce cutting-edge technology on Brazilian soil.

Together, we can also make significant scientific leaps.

The Korean start-up Innospace is helping transform the Alcântara Launch Center into a new aerospace hub.

I am confident that Brazil will soon have the privilege of seeing a South Korean rocket fully operational.

The dialogue between our space agencies is crucial to deepen this collaboration, including in satellite data sharing and lunar exploration projects.

The Republic of Korea has been expanding its research and development in the health sector.

Brazil is advancing in the construction of its Órion Biosafety Laboratory, the only one in the world connected to a particle accelerator.

This will enable us to pursue solutions for diseases, develop diagnostic methods, and prevent epidemics.

Public health institutions, such as Fiocruz and other Brazilian state foundations, are strengthening their cooperation with Korea.

We hope that, soon, we will be able to jointly manufacture new vaccines, medicines, and medical supplies.

Our countries are already global leaders in cosmetics.

In 2025, Brazil’s beauty sector surpassed one billion dollars in exports for the first time.

Korea’s cosmetics industry already rivals that of France in the global market.

Brazil has the greatest biodiversity in the world.

By combining Brazil’s potential with Korean technology, we can multiply our reach in this sector.

Culture is a strong hallmark of our countries.

In Korea, the creative economy surpasses exports from traditional sectors such as home appliances.

In Brazil, this sector already accounts for more than 3 percent of GDP, higher than the automotive industry, and generates jobs at a rate above the national average.

From Brazilian funk to K-pop, from “Parasite” to “Secret Agent,” from telenovelas to K-dramas, our music and audiovisual productions are reaching every corner of the world.

Partnerships in this area are a guarantee of success.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Trade between Brazil and Korea stands at approximately 11 billion dollars.

We remain below the record of nearly 15 billion dollars reached in 2011.

The current level of trade does not reflect the scale of two economies as large as Brazil and Korea.

For this reason, we celebrate a Cooperation Agreement on Trade and Productive Integration, focused on strengthening industrial, technological, and agricultural cooperation.

The agreement will also strengthen resilient and secure supply chains and introduce cooperation in strategic minerals, sustainable industries, and the audiovisual sector.

Our ministries will begin meeting regularly to discuss ways to strengthen our economic relations.

ApexBrasil, the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, has identified 280 opportunities for Brazilian products in Korea, ranging from food and beverages to chemicals.

Brazil has been working for fifteen years to gain access to the Korean beef market.

Bulgogi, the traditional Korean barbecue, pairs perfectly with high-quality Brazilian beef.

We are ready to advance the necessary sanitary procedures so that Brazilian beef can be served on the plates of Korean citizens.

This will also allow the world’s largest meatpacking companies, which are Brazilian, to establish operations and invest here in Korea.

MERCOSUR is making progress in trade negotiations with several countries.

After two decades, we signed an agreement with the European Union, creating one of the world’s largest free trade areas.

We now need to resume negotiations on a MERCOSUR–Republic of Korea Agreement.

The best response to attempts to use trade as a weapon is to show that mutually beneficial agreements can be reached through dialogue and negotiation.

The relationship between Brazil and the Republic of Korea, two countries connected by strong human ties and business links, proves that trust and cooperation are worthwhile.

I am confident that this forum has generated many business opportunities that will help build a prosperous future for both Brazilians and Koreans.

Thank you very much.