President Yoon Seok-yeol will travel three countries, the UK, the United States and Canada, for 7 days and 5 nights starting on the 18th. President Yoon visited the UK on the 19th to attend the funeral of the recently deceased Queen Elizabeth II, and then to the US to deliver a keynote speech at the United Nations General Assembly on the 20th. He is also expected to hold a summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the main agenda, such as the battery supply chain.
○ General speech focusing on ‘global leader country’
Kim Seong-han, head of the National Security Bureau, announced the itinerary for President Yoon’s trip through a briefing on the 12th. President Yoon will attend the United Nations General Assembly held in New York on the 20th as a keynote speaker.
This year’s UN General Assembly theme focuses on finding transformative solutions to complex challenges, seeing that the international community is at an unprecedented turning point, a ‘tipping point’. Regarding the content of the keynote speech, Director Kim said, “I expect to present the role of the Republic of Korea as a global leader who will contribute significantly to solving international issues and take the lead in establishing a values-based international order general. ” He will spend considerable time communicating what role South Korea can play in addressing global challenges.
President Yoon plans to meet with the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, on the occasion of attending the General Assembly of the United Nations and also meet with local compatriots. This is President Yoon’s first visit to the United States since he took office.
○ Second summit with Biden… IRA discussion
President Yoon is holding bilateral talks with US President Joe Biden while attending the United Nations General Assembly. This is the second bilateral meeting after the meeting held during President Biden’s visit to South Korea immediately after Yoon took office.
The main agenda of this meeting will probably be the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) recently passed by the US Congress. A high-ranking official in the Office of National Security explained, “This issue is very important from our point of view, so I believe it will be discussed during the bilateral meeting.” Kim also conveyed South Korea’s concerns about the deflationary law at a meeting of US and South Korean security chiefs held in Hawaii on the 1st.
A bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, is also being promoted. However, a decision has not yet been made as to whether it will be a formal meeting or a full sided meeting. The success of the summit is expected to depend on whether the forced labor issue, the biggest issue between the two countries, is resolved. A high-ranking official said, “We are holding bilateral talks with three or four countries, including the United States and Japan.”
○ Cooperation in the supply of rare metals with Canada
President Yoon plans to visit the UK and Canada before and after the United Nations General Assembly and strengthen cooperation with Commonwealth countries. In England, the first stop of her tour, she attends the coat of arms of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey.
Director Kim said, “Britain is the country that sent the second largest number of troops after the United States during the Korean War during the Korean War. Since President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida will attend the funeral, the three heads of state may meet several times.
After attending the United Nations General Assembly, President Yoon moves to Canada.
The summit meeting with Prime Minister Trudeau is expected to be on issues such as cooperation in the supply of rare metals such as lithium and cobalt and cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
By Kim In-yup, staff reporter inside@hankyung.com
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