Yoon to attend Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, UN General Assembly

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Sat, September 23, 2023 | 10:58

Foreign Affairs

Yoon to attend Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, UN General Assembly

Posted : 2022-09-12 17:03

Updated : 2022-09-13 16:42

National Security Advisor Kim Sung-han announces President Yoon Suk-yeol's plan to visit the U.K., the U.S. and Canada during a press conference at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

By Nam Hyun-woo

President Yoon Suk-yeol will likely have a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden during a visit to New York to attend the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly next week, according to the presidential office, Monday.

Yoon's office added that the president will also visit the U.K. beforehand to attend the funeral of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, and afterwards he will visit Canada to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and make diplomatic efforts to bolster economic ties.

According to National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han, Yoon will make a seven-day trip from Sept. 18 to 24 to visit the three countries.

"The trip has its purpose in strengthening the coalition with partner countries that share core values and broadening South Korea's base for economic diplomacy," Kim said during a press briefing.

Yoon will start his trip by attending the queen's funeral slated for Sept. 19 at Westminster Abbey in London, joining a group of international leaders who will also attend the funeral to mourn her death.

"Yoon decided to attend the funeral after considering the importance of South Korea-U.K. relations and her achievements in history," Kim said. "The leaders of the world's free democracies are anticipated to gather in London, and Yoon will meet them to have conversations on the pursuit of an international coalition for freedom and peace."

In New York, Yoon will deliver a speech at the U.N. high-level keynote speech session on Sept. 20.

It will be Yoon's first time attending the U.N. General Assembly, and he is anticipated to outline South Korea's role in addressing challenges the world is facing.

"As the General Assembly's theme said, the global society is at a watershed moment that whether it can expand freedom on the basis of rules-based order, and countries are required to come up with transformative solutions," Kim said. "Yoon's message will likely focus on suggesting South Korea's role for this cause."

Yoon's speech is expected to include his North Korea initiative that he outlined last month, which contains Seoul's broad range of supports to entice Pyongyang's denuclearization. Though it will not likely be the main subject of his speech, officials said Yoon is expected to urge North Korea's denuclearization once again, to entice the regime to make "the right choice."

President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden speak during their summit at the former's office in Yongsan District, Seoul, May 21. Yonhap

A senior official at the presidential office said Yoon is preparing a series of bilateral meetings with three to four leaders participating in the General Assembly, and that will likely include U.S. President Joe Biden.

If takes place, Yoon and Biden are expected to share their opinions on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which is feared to harm South Korean carmakers by making Korean-made electric vehicles (EVs) no longer eligible for tax subsidies in America.

"South Korea has recently stressed the possible damage to its Korean carmakers in a recent meeting between national security advisers of the two countries, and the U.S. seems to be looking closely into this matter," the official said. "Given its importance to the South Korean industry, this matter is anticipated to be discussed during a meeting between Yoon and Biden."

The official also said that the presidential office is seeking to have a meeting between Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of the U.N. assembly, but added that nothing has been fixed yet.

In Canada, Yoon will have a summit with Trudeau, during which the two sides are anticipated to explore ways to strengthen bilateral ties in mineral materials required for EV batteries and other advanced industries.

"Canada is South Korea's second-largest mineral exporter, which supplies lithium, cobalt and other core materials required for secondary batteries," Kim said. "The visit to Canada will serve as an opportunity for building supply chain stability and resilience and strengthening bilateral economic ties."

namhw@koreatimes.co.kr