South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s zing on Anthony Albanese at G7 meet

The South Korean President has delivered a cheeky jab to Anthony Albanese ahead of their meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit.

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has delivered a humbling blow to Anthony Albanese, claiming the Prime Minister was much younger and better-looking than he sounded.

The diplomatic jab preceded Mr Albanese and Mr Lee’s bilateral meeting on Tuesday (AEST), with both leaders invited by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to attend the G7 Leaders Summit as outreach partners.

“You look much younger and good-looking than I imagined from your voice,” Mr Lee told Mr Albanese through his translator.

This was the first time the leaders had met face-to-face, though they had earlier spoken on the phone.

The comment earned a solid laugh from Mr Albanese and the journalists from the room.

Mr Albanese later joked in response: “Thank you for your kind comments, I think winning an election takes a few years off your age”.

Mr Lee told Mr Albanese he was “much younger and good-looking” than he expected from his voice.

Mr Albanese responded in jest, joking winning an election “takes a few years off your age”.

Mr Lee backed further continued economic co-operation between the two countries.

“We are close economic partners. And going forward, I believe there’s even further room for future co-operation and I should admit that we happily rely on Australian natural resources,” he said.

Mr Albanese said it was “wonderful” to meet Mr Lee so soon after his election win on June 3, and said the two countries had built a “very important economic relationship,” and shared strong defence co-operation.

He also acknowledged the upcoming commeration of the 75th anniversary of the outbreak of war on the Korean Peninsular.

Australia is slated to hold a National Commemorative Service at the Australian National Korean War Memorial in Canberra in honour of the 18,000 Australians who served during the Korean War, with 340 Australians losing their lives.

“Australia is a reliable supplier of energy to Korea, and we look forward to participating when you host the APEC meeting later this year,” he said.

Originally published as South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s zing on Anthony Albanese at G7 meet