Yoon's flurry of diplomacy continues on day 2 in office

President Yoon Suk-yeol shakes hands with former Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, the current head of the country's ruling Democratic Party of Struggle, during the latter's visit to the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

By Nam Hyun-woo

Following his inauguration ceremony on Tuesday, President Yoon Suk-yeol spent his second day in office receiving dignitaries from various countries including Indonesia, Central African Republic (CAR), Canada, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Nigeria and Ecuador, who also attended the previous day's ceremony.

From Indonesia, former Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, the current head of the country's ruling Democratic Party of Struggle, paid a visit to Yoon.

"Korea and Indonesia both have experiences of achieving democracy and economic development after overcoming historical hardships, and the experiences have contributed to the close partnership between the two countries," Yoon said.

"I look forward to seeing Indonesia's leadership as the president country of this year's Group of 20 summit and the chair country of ASEAN next year, and ask for Indonesia's support for Korea."

Megawati responded that Indonesian President Joko Widodo has sent his regards to Yoon and asked the new president to visit Indonesia in the near future.

Indonesia is Korea's only special strategic partner country in ASEAN, after the status of their bilateral ties was upgraded during former President Moon Jae-in's visit to the country in 2017. Widodo paid a return visit to Seoul in September 2018.

The two countries are cooperating in a range of joint projects, including the fighter jet development program called the KF-X (Korean Fighter Experimental) here and the IF-X in Indonesia.

Last November, the two sides reached a final agreement on the cost-sharing for the program, with Indonesia shouldering 20 percent of the costs to be paid by 2026. Indonesia will also provide in-kind payments for 30 percent of its share, which are expected to be delivered as palm oil.

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President Yoon Suk-yeol watches as Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadera signs the guestbook during the latter's visit to the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

After meeting Megawati, Yoon had a meeting with Central African Republic (CAR) President Faustin-Archange Touadera.

"After the two countries formed their diplomatic relations, Korea and CAR have been maintaining very friendly relations, and Korea is playing its role for the progress of CAR through development projects," Yoon said. "I hope for CAR to facilitate greater stability under the leadership of President Touadera."

Touadera, who took office in 2016, is the first CAR president to visit Korea in 20 years. Korea and CAR forged their diplomatic relations in 1963, and their trade volume stood at $2.8 million as of 2018, with Korea mostly importing hardwood from the African nation.

President Yoon Suk-yeol shakes hands with Canadian Speaker of the Senate George Furey during the latter's visit to the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

From Canada, Speaker of the Senate George Furey visited Yoon, with the president expressing his hope for active exchanges between high-profile figures of the two countries and expanded cooperation in global supply chain issues and advanced industries.

"Next year marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and Canada," Yoon said. "During the period, the two sides have closely cooperated in common values such as democracy and human rights. … The Korea-Canada relationship is inseparable, and the new (Korean) government wants to develop the relations further to enable exchanges and cooperation in battery, artificial intelligence and supply chain issues."

Yoon's comment came amid LG Energy Solution's recent announcement that it plans to build an electric vehicle battery plant in Ontario.

President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks to Yasir Othman Al-Rumayyan, chairman of Saudi Aramco and governor of the Public Investment Fund, second from right, during their meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

During a meeting with Yasir Othman Al-Rumayyan, chairman of Saudi Aramco and governor of the Public Investment Fund, Yoon said the chairman's visit to Korea will play a significant role in enhancing the relations between Korea and Saudi Arabia.

The chairman responded that he shared many conversations with the leaders of Korean businesses during Tuesday's dinner to celebrate Yoon's inauguration, and he promised to provide support to enhance mutual investments between businessmen of both countries.

Along with them, former Qatar Central Bank Governor Abdulla bin Saoud Al-Thani; Nigerian Finance, Budget and National Planning Minister Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed; and Ecuadorian Tourism Minister Niels Olsen also paid visits to Yoon.