Yoon returns to Seoul, concluding Paris, Hanoi tour

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Yoon returns to Seoul, concluding Paris, Hanoi tour

Published: 24 Jun. 2023, 20:41 Updated: 26 Jun. 2023, 12:33

President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee arrive on the presidential jet at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, wrapping their six-day trip to Paris and Hanoi on Saturday evening. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee returned to Korea Saturday after a six-day trip that took them to France to promote Busan's 2030 World Expo bid and Vietnam for a state visit aimed at bolstering security and economic relations.

During his three-day trip to Hanoi, Yoon held a bilateral summit and state dinner with Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong and attended a business forum on Friday.

On Saturday morning, Yoon and Thuong, joined by their first ladies, had a breakfast meeting at a restaurant near Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi, according to the presidential office, meeting for a second day in a row.

They enjoyed Pho, or Vietnamese rice noodles, and discussed historical similarities between their countries, who pursued peace despite foreign aggressions, said Yoon's office.

Korea's first lady Kim Keon-hee and her Vietnamese counterpart, Phan Thi Thanh Tam, joined their husbands as they walked the shores of the lake, the office said, and the sides pledged to further deepen and develop the friendship and partnership between the two countries that have developed over the past 30 years.

President Yoon Suk Yeol and Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong chat at a breakfast meeting overlooking Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi Saturday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

As his last schedule in Hanoi, Yoon later visited the Samsung Electronics R&D Center Vietnam and attended a dialogue with the digital future generation event, attended by youths, including Vietnamese researchers, and Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, a member of the presidential business delegation.

On Saturday evening, Yoon and the first lady arrived in Korea, wrapping up their two-country tour.

In Paris, Yoon gave an English-language presentation at the general assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) to promote Korea's World Expo bid and held a bilateral summit with French President Emmanuel Macron.

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