President Yoon Seok-yeol is set to depart for the United Kingdom and France on the 20th, just a day after returning from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco, USA. At APEC, President Yoon strengthened the trilateral cooperation between South Korea, the U.S., and Japan. He plans to focus on enhancing cooperation in advanced industries and securing the hosting of the 2030 World Expo in Busan during his visits to the UK and France.
President Yoon, who returned home on the night of the 18th, received briefings on domestic issues such as the suspension of public services on the 19th. He ordered measures to prevent further inconvenience to the public and called for more accurate responses. Previously, while in the U.S., he had instructed the launch of a joint government task force for a swift response. The Presidential Office has formed a task force, led by Yoon Oh-jun, the Cybersecurity Secretary, with participation from various ministries.
President Yoon used the APEC summit to further strengthen the trilateral cooperation between South Korea, the U.S., and Japan. He had separate trilateral meetings with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and also held the seventh Korea-Japan summit with Prime Minister Kishida this year. The day after the summit, he deepened cooperation in the hydrogen and startup sectors through a lecture at Stanford University and meetings with startup representatives.
The three countries also announced a strategy to unite in the fields of original/advanced industries, AI/digital, and carbon reduction in science and technology. President Yoon said, “South Korea, the U.S., and Japan will immediately start discussions to identify and promote joint projects in the field of original advanced technology.”
He also met with global business leaders such as Apple CEO Tim Cook and General Motors (GM) Vice Chairman Suryadevara Dhivya, requesting cooperation with Korean companies. GM mentioned regulatory reform and system improvement by the Korean government and announced plans to increase domestic production. Apple CEO Tim Cook arranged a separate meeting with President Yoon at his request and emphasized that he would continue to cooperate and invest to help capable Korean companies grow.
At multilateral diplomatic stages such as the APEC summit and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) summit, he emphasized the need to establish an early warning system to resolve supply chain instability and to strengthen connectivity among countries in the region. He also revealed Korea’s role and contribution plans to utilize zero-carbon energy, transition to eco-friendly transportation, and resolve climate disparities.
However, the anticipated Korea-China summit did not take place.
From the 20th to the 23rd, President Yoon will make a state visit to London, UK, at the invitation of King Charles III. President Yoon is the first state guest invited by King Charles following his coronation this year. The two leaders will discuss ways to strengthen strategic cooperation in digital/AI, cybersecurity, nuclear power, defense, bio, space, semiconductors, offshore wind power, and clean energy.
On the 23rd, he will move to Paris, France, for a four-day, two-night schedule. He will express our strong will and readiness for the hosting of the 2030 Busan World Expo and will put all his efforts into the final negotiations for the expo. The final presentation (PT) and voting of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) will take place on the 28th.
Reporter Ahn Young-guk ang@etnews.com
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