(LEAD) Lee set to attend G7 summit in Evian to discuss global challenges

(ATTN: MODIFIES lead; UPDATES with minor edits throughout, more info in last 3 paras)By Park Boram ROME, June 16 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung was set to attend a Group of Seven (G7) summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on Tuesday, joining discussions on wars in Ukraine and Iran and other pending global challenges as the leader of an invited partner country. This marks the second consecutive year South Korea has been invited to the G7 summit. France has invited non-G7 nations, including Brazil, Egypt, India and Kenya, to help shape coordinated responses to global challenges, such as the wars in Ukraine and Iran, global financial instability and risks associated with artificial intelligence (AI). Lee is scheduled to join G7 leaders on Tuesday and Wednesday for talks on such issues. The South Korean president is also expected to hold bilateral summit talks with some of the participating leaders, but whether he would meet U. S. President Donald Trump remains uncertain. A presidential official said the office is leaving the door open for the possibility of a Lee-Trump meeting, but no concrete progress had been made in arranging one. This photo shows President Lee Jae Myung. (Yonhap) On his first day attending the G7 summit, Lee will attend the event's first expanded session, themed "Forging new partnerships and rebuilding international Solidarity," the presidential office said. Participating leaders plan to discuss joint efforts to address the decline in international development aid flows. Lee, in particular, plans to stress the need to forge partnerships between development donors, including G7 member countries, and recipients, while emphasizing efforts to prevent AI gaps among countries from widening economic disparities, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said. pbr@yna.co.kr(END)