Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
Yoon promotes supply chain cooperation, Busan Expo bid during summits
President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store during their summit at the Lithuanian Exhibition and Congress Center in Vilnius, Tuesday (local time). Joint Press Corps
By Nam Hyun-woo
By Nam Hyun-woo
VILNIUS ― President Yoon Suk Yeol promoted supply chain cooperation and a bid by South Korea's southern port city of Busan to host the World Expo 2030 during one-on-one meetings with world leaders participating in the 2023 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Tuesday (local time).
The meetings with the leaders of Norway, Portugal and the Netherlands came as an opportunity for Yoon to expand Seoul's diplomatic reach and lay the groundwork for supply chain cooperation with those countries, the presidential office said.
During a meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, Yoon expressed hopes of closer bilateral ties in the areas of renewable energy and defense, while Store called for active cooperation in the areas of offshore wind power, hydrogen energy and carbon capture technology. The prime minister said he hopes for partnerships in the defense sector where South Korea holds a competitive edge.
President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a luncheon with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte during at a restaurant in Vilnius, Lithuania, Tuesday (local time). Joint Press Corps
Yoon held a lunch meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte where they expressed satisfaction over a deepening bilateral partnership in the fields of national defense, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and nuclear power. The leaders agreed that the two countries should further increase cooperation to ensure the stability of chip supply chains.
During a meeting with the South Korean president, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa noted that his country wants to become a part of the global supply chain solidarity through close cooperation with the South's semiconductor firms. Yoon responded by promising his support for business partnerships.
President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa during their meeting at the Lithuanian Exhibition and Congress Center in Vilnius, Tuesday (local time). Joint Press Corps
During the summits, Yoon promoted Busan's bid to host the World Expo 2030 and asked for the support of those countries. Busan is now in a heated competition with Riyadh of Saudi Arabia, before the 170 member nations of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) vote in November to choose the host city.
Yoon has been taking advantage of his diplomatic trips to leave strong impression on BIE member states and elicit a Korea-friendly response from them. Last month, Yoon delivered a presentation to BIE member countries in Paris, highlighting the fact that the Busan Expo will be a platform to discuss solutions to major global issues like the climate crisis, food shortage, transition to clean energy and future global pandemics.
Yoon also asked the world leaders to join global efforts to deal with North Korea's escalating missile and nuclear threats.
The Norwegian prime minister said his country will cooperate closely with South Korea based on its experience as the chair of the United Nations North Korea sanctions committee, while the Portuguese prime minister reaffirmed his support for the Yoon administration's North Korea policies.