Yoon postpones planned visit to Germany, Denmark

President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, waves alongside first lady Kim Keon Hee at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, before departing on a trip to the Netherlands on Dec. 11, 2023. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Yoon Suk Yeol postponed a planned visit to Germany and Denmark expected to take place next week.

A source said Wednesday that the postponement of the visits came through a mutual understanding between the Korean presidential office and the governments of Germany and Denmark and took into consideration various reasons, but didn't elaborate further.

The visit was not canceled, however, and is expected to take place at a later date.

This is the first time Yoon has postponed or canceled an overseas visit, expected to take place in just several days. He has made 16 overseas trips since he took office in May 2022. He reportedly would have made a state visit to Germany followed by an official trip to Denmark.

The two-country trip, if it took place, would have marked Yoon's first overseas visit of the new year, with less than two months left until the April 10 general elections.

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