President Yoon departs for Hiroshima to attend G7 summit

President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee bid farewell before boarding the plane to Hiroshima to attend the Group of 7 Summit on Friday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Yoon Suk Yeol left for Hiroshima on Friday to attend the Group of 7 (G7) Summit.

Yoon and first lady Kim Keon-hee boarded the plane at Seoul Airport on Friday around 2 p.m., after greeting Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Aiboshi, People Power Party leader Kim Gi-hyeon, several vice ministers and Yoon’s chief of staff.

Korea was invited by Japan to attend the G7 leaders' summit this year as a guest country alongside Australia, Brazil, Comoros, the Cook Islands, India, Indonesia and Vietnam. This marked the fourth time a Korean leader has attended the G7 summit.

Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will hold bilateral talks on Sunday when a trilateral meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden is also likely to happen. The last time the trio held a summit was six months ago in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on the sidelines of Asean-related meetings.

Yoon was also scheduled to meet with leaders of Australia, Vietnam, India, Indonesia and Britain on Friday and Saturday.

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]