President Yoon’s Packed Diplomatic Agenda: APEC, UK, France, and Netherlands Await

President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to continue his final diplomatic schedule for the year, which includes the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, state visits to the UK and the Netherlands, and a visit to France. Economic achievements such as investment declaration ceremonies and the signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) are expected during the APEC summit and the UK state visit. During his visit to France, he is scheduled to meet with representatives of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) ahead of the selection of the host for the 2030 World Expo. He appears to be putting all his efforts into securing the Expo for Busan until the end.

Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy director of the National Security Office, held a briefing at the Open Lounge of the Presidential Office in Yongsan, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 8th, introducing President Yoon’s major diplomatic schedule.

According to the briefing, President Yoon will attend the APEC summit in San Francisco, U.S., from the 15th to the 17th with the aim of ‘strengthening global responsibility diplomacy’ and return to Korea on the afternoon of the 18th. The next day, the 19th, President Yoon will receive reports on domestic issues and give instructions as necessary.

President Yoon will then make a state visit to London from the 20th to the 23rd at the invitation of King Charles III of the UK. Following his state visit to the UK, President Yoon will visit Paris, France, from the 23rd to the 24th to join the final bid for the 2030 Busan Expo. After completing his schedule in France, President Yoon is expected to return to Korea on the morning of the 26th.

President Yoon is set to attend the APEC summit along with his wife, Kim Gun-hee. Upon arriving in San Francisco on the 15th, President Yoon’s first schedule is a meeting with Koreans living in the U.S. President Yoon and his wife plan to listen to the voices of the Korean community and discuss ways to strengthen ties with the homeland at the meeting.

In the afternoon of the same day, President Yoon will attend the APEC CEO Summit and give a keynote speech. He will also participate in an investment declaration ceremony. President Yoon and his wife, Kim, are also expected to attend the APEC welcome reception hosted by the host country. Following the reception, President Yoon will have a conversation with the future generation of Koreans working in advanced technology in San Francisco, concluding the first day’s schedule.

On the 16th, President Yoon will have an informal conversation with the leaders of member and invited countries at the first session of the APEC summit. The first session of the summit, held under the theme ‘Creating a Resilient and Sustainable Future for All,’ will take place in the form of a working lunch, and the leaders of each country will discuss issues such as the climate crisis and energy transition.

At this meeting, President Yoon is expected to emphasize South Korea’s contribution to the transition to clean energy, overcoming the climate crisis, and the need for solidarity among APEC member countries. In the afternoon of the same day, President Yoon will participate in a dialogue with the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) and attend the leaders’ dinner.

The possibility of bilateral meetings, including a summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, is also possible during the multilateral APEC meeting. There is interest in whether President Yoon will also meet with President Xi Jinping on the occasion of APEC. Deputy Director Kim said, “As with other multilateral meetings, we are pursuing bilateral meetings with several countries this time as well.”

On the 17th, President Yoon will attend the second session of APEC in a ‘retreat’ format. In this session, which takes place in a relaxed atmosphere without formal seating, plans for cooperation in building an inclusive and resilient economy will be discussed. At this meeting, President Yoon will explain the need for cooperation in restoring the multilateral trading system amid complex global crises, strengthening the connectivity of supply chains within the region, and establishing digital ethics, as well as South Korea’s role in this regard.

After concluding the APEC schedule, President Yoon will return to Korea on the 18th and head to the UK again on the 20th. President Yoon and his wife, Kim, will make a state visit to London at the invitation of King Charles III of the UK from the 20th to the 23rd for three nights and four days. The UK royal family hosts about two state visits a year, and the first state visit after the coronation of King Charles III is President Yoon.

President Yoon and his wife will begin their schedule with a meeting with Koreans living in the UK after arriving in London in the late afternoon of the 20th. During the state visit to the UK, there are plans for a Korea-UK business forum, a future science and technology forum for top scientists from Korea and the UK hosted by the Royal Society of the UK, a banquet hosted by the ‘Lord Mayor’ of London, a financial honorary city, along with a summit with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The two leaders are expected to discuss ways to strengthen strategic cooperation in various fields, including digital, artificial intelligence (AI), cyber security, nuclear power, defense, bio, space, semiconductors, offshore wind power, and clean energy, at this meeting. A ‘Korea-UK Accord Document’ containing future cooperation measures between the two countries is also expected to be adopted at the meeting.

In particular, at the business forum, they will jointly explore business opportunities with the UK, a significant trade investment partner and strategic trade partner of Korea, and dozens of MOUs are expected to be signed between companies from both countries. The UK can be seen as a major market, ranking sixth in the world, close to Europe, and with great potential for expansion into Commonwealth countries.

The UK state visit is expected to lay the groundwork for Korean companies to smoothly enter the UK market, which is reorganizing its supply chain, and to discuss improvements to the Korea-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The presidential office said it plans to hold ministerial-level supply chain talks and concrete advanced supply chain cooperation through economic events involving companies from both countries during this visit.

About this, Choi Sang-mok, the economic advisor, explained in a briefing on the visit that “the keywords for economic diplomacy are securing new markets, supply chains, advanced science and technology, and solidarity in carbon-free energy.”

Meanwhile, President Yoon and his wife are scheduled to make a state visit to the Netherlands at the invitation of King Willem-Alexander from December 12 to 13. The schedule for the state visit to the Netherlands includes an official welcome ceremony, a wreath-laying ceremony at a war memorial, a state banquet, a joint meeting with the Speaker of the Upper and Lower Houses, a meeting with the Dutch Prime Minister, an MOU signing ceremony, and an official press conference.

The presidential office said, “As this is the first state visit since establishing diplomatic relations between Korea and the Netherlands in 1961, we are preparing various events related to economy, culture, and other fields in addition to the official schedule”.

By. Choi Young Hun