Yoon's meeting with Trump before inauguration may be difficult: presidential office
Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol exits his plane upon arrival for an official visit, at the Callao Air Base in Lima, Peru, in this photo provided by the Presidential Office Nov. 14. Yonhap
President Yoon Suk Yeol is unlikely to meet with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump before his inauguration due to time constraints, but both sides will continue to remain in contact, the presidential office said Thursday (local time).
Yoon arrived in Lima, Peru, to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and will travel to Brazil to join the Group of 20 summit, which runs through Tuesday.
Yoon's aides have reached out to Trump's team to explore a possible stopover in Florida for a brief meeting during his South America trip, but this seems unlikely as the transition team is focused on domestic matters, including selecting Cabinet and administration members, a senior presidential official told reporters.
"Trump's transition team has communicated to embassies worldwide that meetings with foreign leaders will be difficult before the inauguration on Jan. 20," the official said in a briefing in Lima.
"We will continue discussions with Trump's team regarding policies and a potential future meeting," the official said, noting Yoon is likely to return home Thursday as scheduled. (Yonhap)