President Yoon Seok-yeol, who left for the United States on the 15th for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and returned to Korea on the 19th, is scheduled to visit the UK and France again on the 20th. During this trip, President Yoon plans to deliver a speech in English to the British Parliament. France is making a final all-out effort to host the 2030 Busan World Expo (Expo).
According to the Presidential Office briefing on the 19th, President Yoon left for San Francisco, USA, for the APEC summit on the 15th. President Yoon’s attendance at APEC led to a total investment of 150 billion won from four U.S. companies. In addition, President Yoon used the APEC summit as an opportunity to complete his schedule, including the Korea-US-Japan summit meeting, the Korea-Japan summit, and a speech in session 1 of the APEC summit.
However, the Korea-China summit that was expected to be held during the APEC summit failed to occur. Regarding this, an official from the President’s Office said, “Basically, the schedule for the 3-day, 2-night event was very tight, so there was not much time for bilateral relations.” He added, “The United States and China had many issues that needed to be resolved, and Japan and China, including the global situation, also had to resolve issues. “There were many pending issues, so the meeting was necessary,” he explained. He added, “The leaders of Korea and China met briefly this time, exchanged basic well-wishes, and pledged for the future.” He added, “There is sufficient communication between Korea and China through dialogue.”
It is reported that President Yoon will discuss ways to improve the Korea-England FTA and strengthen the supply chain of high-tech industries such as semiconductors during his 4-day, 3-night state visit to the UK. President Yoon is scheduled to deliver an English speech to the British Parliament during his visit to the UK. This is his second English speech at a foreign Congress, following his English speech to the joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives at the U.S. Congress during his state visit to the United States last April.
During his 3-day, 2-night visit to France starting on the 23rd, President Yoon plans to engage in activities to attract the Expo, including having a lunch and dinner with the representative of the Organization for International Exhibitions and Exhibitions (BIE). In particular, Korean government officials who will visit France on the occasion of President Yoon’s trip will hold a final presentation (PT) ahead of the final announcement date on the 28th. The President’s Office announced that “a person with international influence in our country” is planning to give a PT. An official from the Presidential Office said, “We thought about it and decided not to make it public because the strategy would be exposed and competing countries could come up with countermeasures to this strategy,” adding, “I think one of the most influential people in the international community will become a PT.” .
Lee Ye-ji,
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.