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President to visit Hanwha's US shipyard alongside summit with Trump
President Lee Jae Myung talks on the phone with U.S. President Donald Trump at the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul, June 6. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seok.
By Park Ung, Lee Hyo-jin
Top diplomat rushes to Washington in abrupt visit ahead of summit
President Lee Jae Myung will tour Hanwha Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia on Tuesday (local time) as part of his U.S. visit, which will also include his first summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, the presidential office said Thursday.
The shipyard, acquired by Hanwha for $100 million last year, is seen as a symbolic place to represent the shipbuilding cooperation initiative between the two nations, known as "Make American Shipbuilding Great Again" (MASGA).
The MASGA initiative played a key role for the two nations to reach a tariff deal in late July, when they agreed to lower the U.S.' planned blanket levy on Korean products from 25 percent to 15 percent.
Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said Lee will visit Japan ahead of the U.S. visit and have a luncheon with Korean residents, followed by a summit and dinner with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. On Sunday, he is to meet leading Japanese lawmakers before departing for Washington.
He is scheduled to arrive in Washington on Sunday afternoon (local time) and open his U.S. visit with a dinner with Korean American residents. On Monday, he is to meet with Trump for a summit and later with business and academic leaders.
On Tuesday, he plans to travel to Philadelphia to tour the shipyard before returning to Seoul on Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun abruptly departed for Washington on Thursday evening, skipping his planned trip to Tokyo, where he was scheduled to accompany the president to his meeting with Ishiba. It is unusual for a top diplomat to be absent from a summit.
Cho's sudden travel to Washington was reportedly decided on Wednesday, fueling speculation that last-minute negotiations between the two countries are running into difficulties.
"Given the significance of this summit as the first meeting between the new administrations of Korea and the U.S., the minister plans to arrive in Washington in advance to conduct a final on-site review with the U.S. side, ensuring more thorough and meticulous preparations," a foreign ministry official said, declining to provide further details.
The official confirmed that Cho will not accompany Lee to Japan.
The minister's early visit to Washington was reportedly arranged at the Korean government's request. He is expected to meet his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The first summit between Lee and Trump is anticipated to address not only the trade deal, but also sensitive security issues amid growing U.S. pressure on Korea to increase defense spending and calls for an expanded role for U.S. Forces Korea in countering China.
The two leaders are expected to issue a joint statement following the talks.