Yoon heads to Indonesia, India for Asean and G20 summits next week

Diplomacy

Published: 31 Aug. 2023, 17:31

Yoon heads to Indonesia, India for Asean and G20 summits next week

An illuminated G20 Summit logo is displayed over a bridge in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, ahead of the gathering of Group of 20 leaders next week. [AFP/YONHAP]

President Yoon Suk Yeol will make a seven-day visit next week to Indonesia for a series of Asean-related meetings and India for the Group of 20, or G20, summit, the presidential office said Thursday.

Starting next Tuesday, Yoon will make a four-day trip to Jakarta to attend meetings with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean, and hold a bilateral summit with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Kim Tae-hyo, principal deputy national security adviser, said in a press briefing.

He will be accompanied by first lady Kim Keon Hee.

Yoon will attend a South Korea-Asean summit and an Asean Plus Three summit, both scheduled for Wednesday, and the East Asia Summit (EAS) set for Thursday. Indonesia is the chair of this year's Asean meetings.

The Asean Plus Three group was founded in 1997 as a venue to discuss cooperation between Asean and its three East Asian partners, South Korea, Japan and China.

The leaders of 18 countries are expected to take part in the EAS regional forum, an opportunity to discuss major security issues in the region and internationally, including North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

Yoon's summit with Widodo scheduled at the presidential palace Friday morning is part of an official bilateral visit, returning the Indonesian president's two-day trip to Seoul in July 2022 which focused on economic cooperation. It coincides with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Indonesia this year.

The official visit comes upon the invitation of Indonesia and is expected to produce a series of bilateral agreements.

Yoon will also meet with Koreans living in Indonesia Tuesday evening and attend a Korea-Asean youth festival promoting artificial intelligence (AI) data capabilities and a gala dinner hosted by Indonesia on Wednesday.

Yoon will also attend a Korea-Indonesia business roundtable, hosted by the two countries' chambers of commerce.

About 40 executives of major companies, including Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin and LS Chairman Koo Ja-eun are expected to take part.

Yoon will further hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of countries including Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Cambodia on the sidelines of the Asean events.

A senior presidential official said discussions are underway with Tokyo and Beijing for a Korea-Japan-China summit to be held within this year.

However, he noted, "Holding a South Korea-Japan-China summit will be difficult during this visit."

South Korea is the current chair of the three-way summit, which has not convened since 2019.

Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo speaks during a press conference at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul on Thursday on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s visit to Indonesia and India next week to attend Asean and G20 events. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

On Sept. 8, Yoon will head to India's New Delhi for a three-day trip to attend the gathering of G20 economies.

India serves as this year's G20 president, hosting a summit with the theme of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam," or "One Earth, One Family, One Future," drawn from an ancient Sanskrit text.

Yoon will meet with Koreans living in India right after arriving in the country and attend G20 events starting Sept. 9.

In the first "One Earth" session discussing climate change, environment and renewable energy transition issues, Yoon is expected to underscore Korea's leading role in overcoming the climate crisis.

Yoon will also attend a banquet hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He will also meet with businesspeople in India and hold bilateral talks with countries including India, Spain and Argentina.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will reportedly attend the G20 summit this year, with attention focusing on whether Yoon and Xi hold a bilateral summit on the sidelines of the event.

Yoon and Xi held their first bilateral summit in November 2022 in Bali, Indonesia, on the margins of last year's G20 gathering. It was the first bilateral summit between the South Korean and Chinese presidents since December 2019.

This would follow Yoon's trilateral summit with the U.S. and Japanese leaders last month at Camp David in the United States, which helped to institutionalize cooperation between the three countries amid the rise of geopolitical tensions.

The senior official said that so far "there has been no notification" of whether Xi will attend the G20 summit, though the Chinese president has often in the past.

"Discussions on a Korea-China summit may be held depending on who China sends, or it may be postponed until the next multilateral event," he added.

The series of bilateral meetings on the margins of the Asean and G20 events will also be an opportunity to promote Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan.

"The goals and expected outcomes of this trip are firstly to fully promote the Korea-Asean solidarity initiative," Kim told reporters, and to "implement a global, responsible diplomacy and employ all-out efforts for the Busan Expo bid."

The trip is further expected to expand export markets, diversify high-tech industry supply chain and strengthen Korea's digital leadership.

The Asean and Indian markets together make up 21 percent of Korea's exports, said Choi Sang-mok, senior presidential secretary for economic affairs, in a separate press briefing. He said Yoon "plans to create momentum to put an end to the negative export streak that has continued since last October through active sales diplomacy."

Choi highlighted that Indonesia has the largest economy among the 10 Asean member countries and is rich in key minerals including nickel, noting great potential for economic cooperation.

"India, host of the G20 summit, is the world's most populous country with over 1.4 billion people, and one of the countries with the greatest growth potential, recording an economic growth rate of more than double that of China's last year," he added.

This marks Yoon's second year attending the Asean and G20 summits, held in November last year.

Yoon and first lady Kim are expected to return to Korea on Sept. 11.

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