Moon to hold first summit with Biden on May 21: White House
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, left, and U.S. President Joe Biden / EPA-Yonhap
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden will hold their first summit talks on May 21, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Thursday, adding the meeting will highlight the "ironclad" alliance between the two countries.
"President Biden looks forward to welcoming Republic of Korea President Moon Jae-in to the White House on May 21," Psaki said in a statement. "President Moon's visit will highlight the ironclad alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea, and the broad and deep ties between our governments, people and economies."
The countries earlier said the summit will be held in the second half of next month.
It will mark Biden's second in-person summit with a foreign leader since he took office on Jan. 20.
"President Biden looks forward to working with President Moon to further strengthen our alliance and expand our close cooperation," the statement said.
The U.S. has said the Moon-Biden summit will mark a milestone in Biden's diplomatic and national security achievements in his first 100 days in office.
Moon's visit to Washington will also come as the U.S. is conducting a review of its policy on North Korea.
In his first address to a joint session of Congress, Biden said he will work with allies to address "serious" nuclear threats from North Korea and Iran through "diplomacy" and "stern deterrence."
Officials in Seoul and Washington say that discussions between Moon and Biden will also cover a wide range of other issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as climate change.
South Korea has called for U.S. help in addressing coronavirus vaccine shortages. Officials in Seoul said they were seeking a "vaccine swap" deal with the U.S.
Earlier this week, the White House said the U.S. will provide up to 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines to countries in need, with 20 million doses now scheduled to be delivered to India.
During the address before Congress, Biden said the U.S. will be an "arsenal" for vaccines for the world. (Yonhap)