Park departs for U.S. summit

President Park Geun-hye waves to well-wishers as she leaves for the United States at the Seoul Airport in Seongnam, south of Seoul, yesterday. [NEWSIS]

President Park Geun-hye flew to the United States yesterday for her first summit.

Park will first stop in New York for a meeting with overseas Koreans and Korean UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon before heading to Washington later in the day for a summit with U.S. President Barack Obama Tuesday.

They plan to issue a joint declaration laying out a vision for the two countries’ alliance on the occasion of its 60th anniversary.

A day later, Park will speak before a joint session of the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, the sixth Korean president to do so.

On the way home, Park plans to stop in Los Angeles to meet its mayor and Korean information technology business leaders before returning to Seoul on May 10.

enational@joongang.co.kr