Lula responds to Lee's congratulations on 4th presidential win

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva thanked President Lee Jae Myung on Monday for congratulating him on winning a fourth presidential term in Brazil. Lula said the leaders share goals including workers’ rights, social justice and environmental protection, and expressed hope they would meet again soon. Lula defeated Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro in Sunday’s runoff, winning 51.75 percent of the vote to Bolsonaro’s 48.25 percent. The two presidents have met five times since Lee took office and developed a close relationship through shared experiences as child factory workers.

Lee congratulated Lula on X in Korean and Portuguese and said he hoped Lula would continue to play an important role with the trust of Brazilian voters.

Lee suffered a permanent arm disability after a factory accident as a young worker, while Lula lost the little finger on his left hand in a metalworking accident at age 19.

During Lula’s state visit to Seoul in February, Lee shared an artificial intelligence-generated video depicting their younger selves as factory workers.

Korea and Brazil upgraded their ties to a strategic partnership during Lula’s February visit to Seoul.

During Lee’s state visit to Brazil in July, the two countries agreed to expand cooperation in areas including critical minerals and industries.

Published Oct 27, 2026 3:49 pm KST

Updated Oct 27, 2026 4:07 pm KST

President Lee Jae Myung, on a state visit to Brazil, makes a finger heart with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva after a joint press conference at the presidential palace in Brasilia, July 27. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seog

Two former child factory workers who rose to become presidents exchanged warm messages following Brazil’s presidential election.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva thanked President Lee Jae Myung on Monday (local time) for congratulating him on his election victory, saying the two leaders share goals ranging from workers’ rights to environmental protection.

“My dear friend President Lee Jae Myung, I sincerely thank you for your message,” Lula wrote in Portuguese on X, formerly Twitter, in response to Lee’s post a day earlier.

“We will continue defending dialogue between nations, social justice, workers’ rights and environmental protection,” he wrote. “The future we want to build must offer dignity and opportunities to everyone.”

He added, “I know these are goals we share. I hope we meet again soon.”

Lee congratulated Lula on Monday after the Brazilian leader won a runoff election Sunday, securing an unprecedented fourth presidential term.

“My dear friend and comrade President Lula, I couldn’t be happier to congratulate you on your election victory,” Lee wrote on X in Korean and Portuguese.

Lee said he hoped Lula would continue to play an important role with the trust of Brazilian voters and looked forward to seeing him again.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva thanks President Lee Jae Myung for congratulating him on his election victory in a post on X, Monday (local time). Captured from X

Lula defeated Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, with 51.75 percent of the vote against 48.25 percent, according to the reported official results.

The two presidents have developed a close relationship since their first meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada in June 2025, shortly after Lee took office. They reportedly discussed workers’ rights, drawing on their similar backgrounds.

Both grew up in poverty and began working in factories as children, and both suffered serious workplace injuries.

Lee injured his arm in a factory accident as a young worker, leaving him with a permanent disability. Lula lost the little finger on his left hand in an accident while employed as a metalworker at 19.

The two leaders have met five times since Lee took office, including at international summits and during reciprocal state visits this year.

During Lula’s February visit, Korea and Brazil upgraded their ties to a strategic partnership. Lee then traveled to Brazil on a state visit in July, when the two countries agreed to expand cooperation in areas including critical minerals and industries.

巴西总统路易斯·伊纳西奥·卢拉·达席尔瓦周一感谢李在明总统祝贺他赢得第四个总统任期。卢拉表示，两位领导人拥有共同的目标，包括工人权益、社会正义和环境保护，并希望他们能尽快再次会面。在周日的决选中，卢拉击败了参议员弗拉维奥·博尔索纳罗，以51.75%的得票率战胜了获得48.25%选票的博尔索纳罗。自李在明就任总统以来，两位总统已会面五次，并因共同的童工经历而建立了密切的关系。

李用韩语和葡萄牙语祝贺卢拉当选，并表示希望卢拉能够继续在巴西选民的信任下发挥重要作用。

李在年轻时做工人时因工厂事故导致手臂永久性残疾，而卢拉在 19 岁时因金属加工事故失去了左手的小指。

今年2月，Lula对首尔进行国事访问期间，李分享了一段人工智能生成的视频，视频中她们年轻时是工厂工人。

在卢拉2月份访问首尔期间，韩国和巴西将两国关系提升为战略伙伴关系。

李在7月对巴西进行国事访问期间，两国同意扩大在关键矿产和工业等领域的合作。

发布于2026年10月27日下午3:49（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月27日下午4:07（韩国标准时间）

7月27日，韩国总统李在明在对巴西进行国事访问期间，在巴西利亚总统府与巴西总统路易斯·伊纳西奥·卢拉·达席尔瓦举行联合记者会后，两人用手指比出爱心。韩国时报记者王泰锡摄

两位曾是童工、后来成为总统的人士在巴西总统选举后互致亲切问候。

巴西总统路易斯·伊纳西奥·卢拉·达席尔瓦周一（当地时间）感谢韩国总统李在明祝贺他赢得选举，并表示两位领导人在从工人权利到环境保护等诸多方面有着共同的目标。

“我亲爱的朋友李在明总统，我衷心感谢您发来的信息，”卢拉在 X（前身为 Twitter）上用葡萄牙语回复李在明前一天的帖子时写道。

他写道：“我们将继续捍卫国家间对话、社会正义、工人权益和环境保护。我们想要建设的未来必须为每个人提供尊严和机会。”

他补充道：“我知道这是我们共同的目标。希望我们很快能再次见面。”

李在周一向卢拉表示祝贺，此前这位巴西领导人在周日的第二轮选举中获胜，史无前例地获得了第四个总统任期。

“我亲爱的朋友和同志卢拉总统，我无比高兴地祝贺您赢得选举，”李在X上用韩语和葡萄牙语写道。

李表示，他希望卢拉能够继续在巴西选民的信任下发挥重要作用，并期待再次见到他。

巴西总统路易斯·伊纳西奥·卢拉·达席尔瓦周一（当地时间）在X网站上发帖感谢李在明总统祝贺他赢得大选。截图来自X网站

根据官方公布的选举结果，卢拉以 51.75% 的得票率击败了前总统雅伊尔·博尔索纳罗之子、参议员弗拉维奥·博尔索纳罗（得票率为 48.25%）。

自2025年6月在加拿大举行的七国集团峰会期间，李显龙就任总统后不久，两位总统首次会晤，此后便建立了密切关系。据报道，他们探讨了劳工权益问题，并分享了彼此相似的背景。

两人都出身贫寒，从小就在工厂工作，也都遭受过严重的工伤。

李年轻时在工厂做工，因事故导致手臂受伤，留下了永久性残疾。卢拉19岁时在一家金属加工厂工作，因事故失去了左手的小指。

自李光耀就任总理以来，两位领导人已经会面五次，其中包括在今年的国际峰会和互访期间。

在卢拉2月份访问期间，韩国和巴西将双边关系提升为战略伙伴关系。随后，李明博于7月份对巴西进行国事访问，两国同意扩大在关键矿产和产业等领域的合作。