Yoon to make state visits to Britain and the Netherlands

Diplomacy

Published: 26 Sep. 2023, 09:30 Updated: 26 Sep. 2023, 16:46

Yoon to make state visits to Britain and the Netherlands

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey in London on Sept. 19. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Yoon Suk Yeol will make a state visit to Britain in November to mark the 140th anniversary of bilateral relations, the two countries announced Tuesday.

Yoon will be accompanied by first lady Kim Keon Hee, and they were invited by King Charles III, the presidential office said in a statement Tuesday.

"This state visit commemorates the 140th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and the United Kingdom," the office said, without elaborating on further details such as the exact date.

Buckingham Palace simultaneously announced that Yoon and Kim have accepted an invitation from the king to pay a state visit to the United Kingdom.

King Charles and Queen Camilla will host the Korean presidential couple at Buckingham Palace.

Yoon and Kim will become the second state guests of the king's reign and the first since his coronation in May. Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo attended the coronation ceremony in London.

King Charles hosted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in November 2022 as his first state guest since taking reign.

A state visit is the highest-level visit by a foreign leader, typically involving more pomp and ceremony, including a welcoming event with an honor guard and a state dinner. State visits are also considered an important part of the British royal family's diplomatic duties, aimed at strengthening bilateral relations with countries.

In September 2022, Yoon made his first trip to Britain since taking office in 2022 to attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II before heading to New York to attend the UN General Assembly and Canada.

Yoon and Charles met at a reception at Buckingham Palace attended by world leaders during this visit ahead of the funeral, and the Korean president signed a book of condolence at Church House in London.

The two countries signed a treaty of friendship, commerce and navigation in 1883, during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

During this trip, Yoon is expected to attend an official welcoming ceremony hosted by the British royal family and take part in a bilateral summit with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to discuss economic and renewable energy cooperation.

This marks the third time that a Korean president will be making a state visit to Britain, following late President Roh Moo-hyun in 2004 and former President Park Geun-hye in 2013.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, second from right, shakes hands with King Charles III at a reception at Buckingham Palace in London on Sept. 18, 2022, and offers condolences ahead of the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. [YONHAP]

Yoon and Kim will also pay a state visit to the Netherlands in December at the invitation of King Willem-Alexander, the presidential office said in a separate statement later Tuesday.

This will be the first state visit by a Korean president to the Netherlands since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1961.

So far, Yoon held three bilateral summits with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Rutte visited Seoul in November 2022.

The two leaders agreed to upgrade their diplomatic relations to a "strategic partnership" and pledged closer cooperation on semiconductors, renewable energy and defense during their bilateral summit on Nov. 17.

They first met in Madrid, Spain, in June 2022 and most recently in July in Vilnius, Lithuania, both times on the sidelines of NATO summits.

Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, right, shakes hands with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at their joint press conference after a bilateral summit at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul on Nov. 17, 2022. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

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