21 Years Later: The Day Two Former Factory Workers Met Again as Presidents

February 22, 2026, 9:00 PM, Incheon International Airport. As President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stepped off the Brazilian presidential plane adorned with the national flag, his expression carried a weight different from his first state visit 21 years ago. Back in 2005, when he met President Roh Moo-hyun, he was Brazil's first president from a working-class background. Now, he is greeted by President Lee Jae-myung, who at age 19 injured his left arm in a press machine accident while working as a factory worker.

TL;DR

• President Lula of Brazil makes first state visit to Korea in 21 years (Feb 22-24)
• Lee-Lula bond over shared background as former factory workers
• Summit (Feb 23) to discuss cooperation restructuring on rare earths, defense, K-beauty, space
• First Ladies Kim Hye-kyung and Rosângela da Silva lead cultural diplomacy at Folk Museum
• Brazil pursues shift from simple trade to 'productive integration' with Korea

Why 21 Years? The Journey from 2005 to 2026

President Lula's last state visit to Korea was in May 2005. He brought an economic delegation of over 400 people, stunning Korean business circles. He briefly visited during the 2010 Seoul G20 Summit, but this marks the first official state visit in 21 years.

Why so long? Brazil's diplomatic priorities shifted through the Dilma Rousseff administration (2011-2016) and the Jair Bolsonaro administration (2019-2022). Upon starting his third term in 2023, Lula declared "strengthening relations with Asian countries," and at the November 2025 G20 Summit in South Africa, he directly told President Lee, "I really want to visit Korea."

President Lee accepted Lula's invitation to "visit Brazil next year (2026)." The two countries are now redefining their relationship not just as trade partners but as strategic partners in global supply chain restructuring.

Press Machine Accidents That Connected Two Presidents

June 2025, G7 Summit venue in Canada. When President Lee showed President Lula his left arm and said, "My arm was crushed in a press machine at age 19," Lula held up his left pinky finger. "I was 17, and I lost my pinky in a metal factory."

This brief exchange was immediately reported by media in both countries, with the moniker "look-alike presidents" emerging. This isn't just an anecdote. Both experienced extreme poverty, worked in factories to make a living, lost fingers or arms in industrial accidents, and based on those experiences, entered labor movements and politics, eventually becoming presidents—they share this common narrative.

Lula worked in a dyeing factory from age 12, and President Lee dropped out of middle school to enter a factory. Both built their political identity as "presidents who know workers' pain." According to a February 2026 Munhwa Ilbo report, Lula repeatedly asked President Lee at the G7, "How old were you when it happened?" showing deep interest.

First Ladies' Diplomacy: Where Samba Rhythm Meets Tteoksal

Ahead of the summit (Feb 23), on February 21, First Ladies Kim Hye-kyung and Rosângela da Silva of Brazil held a friendship event at the National Folk Museum in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. The two ladies toured the special exhibition 'Brazilian Rio Carnival: African Soul, Samba Rhythm' and shared cultural common ground.

First Lady Rosângela demonstrated samba rhythm by playing the exhibited drums, and First Lady Kim responded with applause. When Rosângela invited her to "please come to the samba festival," Kim replied, "It's an honor to see this exhibition here today, even if it's a substitute."

In the following Korean folk items exhibition, First Lady Kim explained tteoksal and dasikpan, asking "What are Brazil's representative holiday foods?" First Lady Rosângela introduced chocolate desserts, saying "It's a big country, so food culture varies greatly by festival." The event was reported by media in both countries under headlines like "Samba Drums Echo at Folk Museum" and was praised as a model case of cultural diplomacy.

Economic Cooperation Restructuring: From Simple Trade to 'Productive Integration'

Brazil is using this summit as an opportunity to transform its economic cooperation structure with Korea into a 'productive integration' model. According to an exclusive report on February 20, the Brazilian government is restructuring cooperation direction centered not on simple trade expansion but on value chain construction, joint investment, and local production.

1) Rare Earths & Critical Minerals

Brazil holds 23% of the world's rare earth reserves, ranking second globally. Korea requires stable rare earth supply for its electric vehicle, battery, and semiconductor industries. Brazil is moving away from simple rare earth exports to explore joint entry with Korean companies into processing, refining, and manufacturing stages.

2) Defense & Aviation

Cooperation plans centered on Brazil's C-390 transport aircraft for parts procurement and production cooperation are under discussion. Embraer, the world's third-largest commercial aircraft manufacturer, is already pursuing local production partnerships with India and is considering a similar model with Korea.

3) K-Beauty & Consumer Goods

K-beauty has experienced rapid growth in Brazil since the 2020s. The Brazilian government is actively pursuing attraction of local production facilities for Korean cosmetic brands, aiming to position itself as the K-beauty hub for all of South America.

4) Space

Cooperation connecting Korea's space strategy with Brazil's space infrastructure is also under consideration. Brazil possesses the Alcântara Space Center, which has high launch efficiency due to its proximity to the equator, and Korea is pursuing space industry expansion following the successful Nuri rocket launch.

What a 230-Person Economic Delegation Signifies

President Lula brought a 230-person economic delegation on this visit. While smaller than his first state visit in 2005 (400 people), it remains a large scale. The 'Korea-Brazil Business Forum' held on February 23 will be attended by chairpersons of Korea's four major conglomerates—Samsung, Hyundai Motor, LG, and SK—to explore practical business opportunities.

Brazil is an economic powerhouse with a population of 210 million and the world's 9th largest GDP. It's also Korea's largest trade and investment partner in South America. However, trade has been centered on traditional industries like automobiles and electronics until now. This summit is expected to be a turning point for expanding this structure into new industries including rare earths, defense, K-beauty, space, and AI.

A New Chapter in Global South Diplomacy

The Lee Jae-myung administration has made 'Global South' outreach a diplomatic priority since 2025. Market diversification became urgent amid US-led protectionism and US-China hegemonic competition. Brazil, as a BRICS member and leader of Mercosur, is a core Global South nation.

At the 2025 Mercosur Summit, Lula also mentioned Korea, stating "We must focus on strengthening relations with Asian countries." Both presidents share an understanding of the need to cooperate on multilateral diplomatic stages. The February 23 summit will discuss comprehensive cooperation measures including not only trade and investment but also climate, energy, science and technology, agriculture, education, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.

Checklist: Key Summit Agenda Items

✅ Rare Earths & Critical Minerals Cooperation — Brazil ranks 2nd in reserves, Korea requires stable supply

✅ Defense & Aviation Cooperation — C-390 transport aircraft parts procurement & production

✅ K-Beauty Local Production — Brazil as South America's K-beauty hub

✅ Space Cooperation — Alcântara Space Center + Korean launch vehicle technology

✅ Culture & People-to-People Exchanges — First Ladies' friendship event leading the way

✅ Multilateral Diplomacy Cooperation — BRICS, Mercosur, Global South solidarity

✅ President Lee's Brazil Visit — Lula's invitation, possible in 2026

Reference Links

• Hankyoreh | President Lula of Brazil Makes State Visit After 21 Years
• Munhwa Ilbo | 'Factory Worker Bond' Look-alike President Lee & Lula Hold Summit on 23rd
• Yonhap News | President Lula of Brazil Arrives for State Visit Today... Summit with President Lee Tomorrow
• Donga Ilbo | First Lady Kim Hye-kyung Engages in Cultural Exchange with Brazilian First Lady
• [Daum News | [Exclusive] Brazil Restructures Cooperation with Korea Around Summit](https://v.daum.net/v/20260220110042954)

Image Sources

Images used in this post were selected based on official press releases and news article sources, but image file attachments were technically limited and replaced with text descriptions. Main image sources: Yonhap News, Blue House Press Corps, Hankyoreh, Munhwa Ilbo.