PM to attend coronation of King Charles III

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo walks into the press briefing room at the Government Complex Sejong, in this April 29 photo. Han will attend the coronation of Britain's King Charles III at London's Westminster Abbey later this week. Yonhap

Han aims to promote Busan's Expo bid to world leaders on sidelines of royal event

By Jung Min-ho

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will attend the coronation of Britain's King Charles III, scheduled for Saturday (local time), with world leaders and religious representatives looking to witness the historic ceremony at London's Westminster Abbey.

According to Han's office Tuesday, he will attend the reception at Buckingham Palace, Friday, as a Korean government representative before the royal ritual ― the first coronation since June 2, 1953, the day his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was crowned.

With dignitaries from more than 200 states expected to be there, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Spain's King Felipe, Han seeks to use the opportunity to strengthen diplomatic relations and to promote Busan's bid to host the World Expo 2030.

Korea's Second Vice Minister Lee Do-hoon and Lee Kyung-ho, head of the support group for the Bid Committee for the World Expo 2030, are among the members of his delegation.

“At the reception, Prime Minister Han will give his congratulatory message to King Charles III and promote the Busan's Expo campaign,” the prime minister's office said in a statement.

“Han, especially, wishes to meet representatives of African members of the Commonwealth to discuss ways to reinforce bilateral relations and ask them to give their support to Busan's Expo bid as well as the Korea-Africa Special Summit scheduled for 2024.”

The plan was announced at a time when Busan Expo campaigners are stepping up efforts to win the hearts of many developing countries in Africa and Central and South America for the increasingly fierce competition among the Korean port city and three other bidders ― Saudi Arabia's Riyadh, Italy's Rome and Ukraine's Odesa.

The upcoming coronation is anticipated to be smaller in scale than that of Queen Elizabeth II but still reflect traditions dating back almost 1,000 years, with thousands of famed guests. Among other names on the invitation list are Monaco's Prince Albert and Princess Charlene, Japan's Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

After the event, Han plans to visit three other countries ― Sweden, Austria and Romania ― during his week-long trip to Europe. As a co-head of Busan's Expo bid committee, the prime minister has traveled around the world over the past year to earn support.

The candidate cities will give their fourth presentations next month and their final ones in November in Paris, where the winner will be announced during the 173rd general assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions, the governing body of the global exhibition.