Yoon Suk Yeol to make state visit to U.S. from April 24 to 29

Diplomacy

Published: 20 Apr. 2023, 13:38 Updated: 24 Apr. 2023, 00:43

Yoon Suk Yeol to make state visit to U.S. from April 24 to 29

Kim Tae-hyo, principal deputy national security adviser, speaks on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to the United State next week in a press briefing at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul on Thursday. [NEWS1]

President Yoon Suk Yeol will begin a weeklong state visit to the United States on Monday for a bilateral summit with U.S. President Joe Biden to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korea-U.S. alliance, the presidential office said Thursday.

Kim Tae-hyo, principal deputy national security adviser, said in a press briefing at the Yongsan presidential office on Thursday that Yoon and first lady Kim Keon-hee will visit Washington and Boston from April 24 to 29.

The U.S. president and first lady Jill Biden, along with Yoon and Kim, are expected to visit the Korean War Memorial in Washington on Tuesday, according to the White House in a separate statement.

The two leaders will hold their bilateral summit at the White House on Wednesday.

Yoon will be received in a welcome ceremony, and the two leaders will hold their summit meeting, a joint press conference and a state dinner, according to the presidential office and the White House.

"The two leaders will celebrate the achievements of the Korea-U.S. alliance accumulated over the past 70 years and exchange in-depth opinions on the future development of the alliance while holding various schedules together for an extended period of time," Kim said.

The summit is also expected to serve as an opportunity to expand cooperation on extended deterrence and economic security.

Next Thursday, Yoon will give an address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress.

Yoon is expected to "look back on the 70-year history of the alliance based on the shared values of liberal democracy, the rule of law and human rights, and present a blueprint for the future alliance for the two countries to pursue," Kim said.

Later that day, Yoon will attend a state lunch hosted by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. He will also receive a briefing from U.S. military leaders.

Yoon will attend various events commemorating the 70th anniversary of the bilateral alliance and meet with overseas compatriots and representatives in various fields, including politics, business and culture.

During the trip, Yoon will be accompanied by a 122-member business delegation, his largest ever since taking office, including the leaders of Korea's major conglomerates.

They will take part in four business events in Washington, including a business roundtable, and three in Boston.

On April 28 in Boston, Yoon will visit the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and attend a roundtable with experts and businesspeople working in innovation clusters.

Later that day, Yoon will become the first Korean president to give an address at Harvard University.

"He will look back on the process of expanding economic and political freedom led by the United States over the past 200 years and reflect on the duality of freedom in the digital age," Kim said of Yoon's speech at Harvard Kennedy School.

Yoon will also hold discussions with American political scientist Joseph Nye, professor emeritus at Harvard University and former assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs during the Bill Clinton administration.

Yoon will depart for Seoul on April 29.

The last state visit to the United States by a Korean leader was 12 years ago by former President Lee Myung-bak in October 2011, upon the invitation of U.S. President Barack Obama.

Yoon will become Biden's second state guest after French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited the White House last December.

The White House said in a statement that the upcoming summit "will underscore the ironclad alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea, one that has grown far beyond the Korean Peninsula, and is now a force for good in the Indo-Pacific and around the world."

This is the sixth meeting between Yoon and Biden, following their first bilateral summit in Seoul in May last year. They were reunited later that year on the sidelines of global events in Madrid, Britain, New York and Phnom Penh.

"Based on the trust and friendship between the two leaders built up during their six meetings, we expect that the content and breadth of our global comprehensive strategic alliance will further be expanded," Kim said.

During the summit, the two sides expect to solidify the Korea-U.S. combined defense posture and further expand on extended deterrence, a presidential official said.

They are also expected to discuss strengthening the strategic partnership to build stable supply chains, bolster economic security and expand cooperation in core emerging technologies such as semiconductors, batteries and quantum technology. They will also deepen their cooperation in cyber technology and space and further encourage exchanges between future generations of the two countries.

They are also expected to address global challenges, including tensions in the Indo-Pacific region and North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

A presidential official said that during Yoon's visit to the United States, the presidential office will continue closely monitoring any potential provocations by North Korea to enable a "real-time response system" even while the president is abroad.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]