President Moon Jae-in will visit the United States on the 19th (local time) to attend the last UN General Assembly of his term. With this, President Moon will be attending the UN General Assembly held in New York for the fifth consecutive year since taking office, including attending the 75th UN General Assembly by video last year.
During his visit to the US for three nights and five days until the 23rd, President Moon plans to emphasize international cooperation in overcoming global crises such as the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and the climate crisis through a keynote speech at the UN General Assembly. It is also expected to appeal for support for lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Vaccine diplomacy will also be held, such as participating in UN events with BTS, a South Korean singer who is gaining worldwide popularity, and meeting with Pfizer CEO Albert Bulla. After completing his schedule in New York on the 21st, President Moon will move to Honolulu, Hawaii, where he will hold events such as the mutual acceptance ceremony of the remains of South Korea and the United States the next day (22nd).
◇Participating with BTS to attend UN events… Slovenia, etc.
President Moon Jae-in poses for a commemorative photo after awarding the letter of appointment to the idol group BTS at the ceremony for the award of the presidential special envoy for future generations and culture held at the Blue House on the 14th. From left: V, J-Hope, Jin, President Moon, RM, Suga, Jimin, and Jungkook. 2021.914/News1 © News1 President Moon, who arrives in New York on the 19th, will attend the ‘SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) Moment’ as his first visit to the US the next day (20th). The ‘SDG Moment (High-Level Meeting of the Sustainable Development Goals)’ is an annual UN event for the achievement of the international community’s Sustainable Development Goals, and President Moon is the only head of state invited to the opening ceremony. I will attend with BTS, who is leading K-pop on stage. Earlier, President Moon appointed BTS as ‘the president’s special envoy for future generations and culture’. President Moon plans to emphasize solidarity and cooperation with BTS to solve problems facing the international community, such as climate change and poverty, and appeal for the participation of future generations for this purpose.
There are also schedules for bilateral talks with the UN General Assembly as an opportunity. President Moon will hold a summit meeting this time with Slovenian President Borut Pahor and Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc. The meeting with President Pahor is the second since the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, and will be held in the midst of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries next year, while Slovenia is in the process of opening an embassy in Korea this year.
The Blue House plans to seek ways to deepen the strategic partnership with Slovenia, which is playing a role as the European Union (EU) presidency in the second half of this year.
The meeting with President Phuc is the first face-to-face summit with Vietnam since President Moon’s state visit to Vietnam in 2018. It is also the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since President Phuc took office in April this year.
Like Slovenia, President Moon plans to discuss ways to develop bilateral relations with Vietnam, which will celebrate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties with the ROK next year, in various fields such as trade and investment, health and infrastructure. Vietnam is also a major partner of the Korean government’s New Southern Policy.
A meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is also scheduled. This is the sixth meeting between President Moon and President Guterres, and global issues such as climate change and sustainable development will be discussed. At the same time, President Guterres’ support for the Korean government’s efforts to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula is expected to be reaffirmed.
There is a possibility that there will be more summits, but the Korea-US summit will not take place.
A senior Blue House official said, “President Biden is visiting New York for a keynote speech, but his stay is short and even if he has a summit, it is known that he will focus on the summit that he has not yet met.” President Moon had a summit meeting with President Biden in May, and follow-up measures are underway on the bilateral cooperation issues discussed at the meeting.
◇Universal General Assembly speech ‘Nevertheless peace’… Interview with US ABC
The message that President Moon will deliver at the keynote speech at the UN General Assembly is also noteworthy. President Moon is the 14th president to speak after Brazil and the United States. In the meantime, President Moon has used the UN General Assembly as a stage to preach and gain support for his ‘Korean Peninsula Peace Process’ initiative.
Accordingly, in 2017, the first year of his term in office, President Moon urged North Korea to come out as a forum for dialogue, saying, “I do not want North Korea to collapse,” despite the strained inter-Korean relations. He then revealed his vision for the new economic map of the Korean Peninsula and a new northern economic vision, and said he hoped to join North Korea at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
In 2018, North Korea not only participated in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, but also expressed its wish for an end to the war based on the success of the first North Korea-U.S. summit in June of the same year as the inter-Korean summit held in April, May, and September. He also discussed the full-scale promotion of the East Asian Railway Community.
Even in 2019, when the denuclearization negotiations between the U.S. and the U.S. were precariously conducted, President Moon proposed the concept of turning the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) into an international peace zone, citing three principles (non-war, mutual security, and shared prosperity) for resolving the Korean Peninsula issue.
Regarding the de facto stalemate in inter-Korean-North Korea-U.S. contacts in 2020, he said, “Peace on the Korean Peninsula is still unfinished and changes that were full of hope have been halted.” reiterated his will.
President Moon continued, “The South and the North are a living community where mountains, rivers and seas are shared,” and proposed a “Northeast Asian quarantine and health cooperation body” with China, Japan, and Mongolia, including North Korea. At this time, President Moon once again emphasized the importance of a declaration of an end to the Korean War.
This year’s speech at the UN General Assembly is also highly likely to deliver the same message as last year due to North Korea’s successive provocations in a situation where inter-Korean-North Korea-US relations are at a standstill.
President Moon is expected to send a message of peace on the Korean Peninsula to North Korea again and again, giving meaning to the 30th anniversary of the two Koreas joining the UN this year. On the 17th, the 30th anniversary of North and South Korea’s accession to the UN, President Moon said on his social media (SNS), “There is still a long way to go for complete denuclearization and establishment of lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.”
In the midst of this, the Blue House said, “In this keynote speech, the vision and policy of the Korean government for overcoming global crises such as COVID-19 and climate change and for inclusive recovery will be explained, and solidarity and cooperation of the international community will be emphasized.” In commemorating the anniversary, we will express our will to expand our role and contribution to international peace and prosperity in the future.”
It seems unlikely that meaningful contact between the two Koreas will be made with the UN General Assembly as an opportunity. North Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations, Kim Seong, is scheduled to deliver a speech on the 27th.
After the keynote speech on the same day, President Moon is also scheduled to have an interview with ABC’s in the US. At this meeting, the main agendas of the UN General Assembly, such as climate change, overcoming the pandemic, and communication with future generations, are expected to be discussed.
◇Vaccine diplomacy, including a meeting with the CEO of Pfizer… Korea-U.S. mutual acceptance ceremony
President Moon will also engage in vaccine diplomacy during this visit to the United States.
He will hold an interview with Pfizer CEO Bulla on the 21st to express his gratitude for the vaccine supply so far and to ask for a stable supply of vaccines for next year. As a result, President Moon met with representatives of major global vaccine companies such as Moderna, AstraZeneca (AZ) and CureVac in person.
Following this, President Moon will also attend the signing ceremony of the Korea-US vaccine supply chain agreement.
This is a place to confirm cooperation in raw and subsidiary materials and research and development as a follow-up measure to the Korea-US global vaccine partnership agreed at the Korea-US summit in May. The Blue House said, “It is expected to contribute to securing vaccine sovereignty and an early leap into a global vaccine hub.”
Meanwhile, after completing an interview with ABC on the 21st, President Moon leaves New York for Honolulu.
President Moon plans to visit Punch Ball National Cemetery the next day (22nd) to pay tribute to the sacrifices of the soldiers who fought in the Korean War with a wreath. Afterwards, he attends the ceremony for the award of merit for independence and congratulates Ahn Jung-song and Kim No-di with medals.
Lastly, President Moon will be seated at the mutual acceptance ceremony of the remains of the ROK-U.S. military personnel who were killed in Hawaii and returned to Korea.
The Blue House emphasized, “This is the first time that a takeover ceremony will be held overseas with the president’s presence.”
(Seoul = News 1)
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