President Moon heads to New York for UN speech during Chuseok holiday in Korea

President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook wave before leaving from Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Sept. 19, for New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly. Yonhap

President Moon Jae-in left for New York, Sunday, to attend the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly later the same day.

He plans to deliver a keynote speech on Korean peace and Seoul's role in resolving global challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and climate crisis, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

His five-day visit to the U.S., which will also take him to Hawaii for an alliance event, comes as Koreans celebrate Chuseok, one of their biggest and most important traditional holidays ― the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving Day.

Moon is scheduled to address the 76th session of the U.N. General Assembly at the headquarters of the international organization Tuesday (local time).

He is expected to request support for his peace drive and reaffirm Seoul's commitment to make more contributions to the international community.

This year, in particular, the two Koreas mark the 30th anniversary of their simultaneous accession to the U.N.

On Monday, Moon will be present at the Sustainable Development Goals Moment (SDG Moment) event, along with the members of BTS, a globally renowned South Korean boy band and Moon's special envoys for "future generations and culture." The SDG Moment is designed to put a fresh vigor into the campaign to achieve the U.N.-led goals adopted in 2015.

Moon will then hold bilateral summits with Slovenian President Borut Pahor and Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on the sidelines of the U.N. session.

His aides said there is no plan for a separate meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden.

Moon plans to meet with Albert Bourla, chairman and CEO of Pfizer, and join a roundtable meeting on South Korea's bid to become a global vaccine hub.

Following a two-night stay in New York, Moon will fly to Honolulu to attend the transfer ceremony of the remains of South Korean and American troops killed during the 1950-53 Korean War. He will also award medals to independence activists under Japan's colonial rule of Korea from 1910-45, who currently reside in Hawaii.

Moon is to return to Seoul, Thursday, a day after the Chuseok holiday ends. (Yonhap)