Yoon meets with British, South African leaders as G20 summit concludes

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Yoon meets with British, South African leaders as G20 summit concludes

Published: 20 Nov. 2024, 15:29

LIM JEONG-WON
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, second row seventh from right, poses for photos with other G20 countries’ leaders during the launch ceremony of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty as part of the G20 summit at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Monday. [YONHAP]

President Yoon Suk Yeol wrapped up the APEC and G20 summits on Tuesday, holding bilateral summits with the leaders of Britain and South Africa on the margins of the G20 summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Yoon met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and the two noted how South Korea and Britain have strongly condemned the illegal military cooperation between North Korea and Russia with one voice, Seoul’s presidential office said Wednesday.

The two leaders also agreed that “the security of Northeast Asia and Europe is more interconnected than ever” and that “the international community needs to work together for peace and reconstruction in Ukraine.”

“Since the summit between Starmer and myself at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit last July, close communication has continued in line with the global strategic partnership between our two countries,” said Yoon during the summit. “Let’s further strengthen our cooperative relationship in various fields.”

Starmer said the British government also values close communication with allies such as South Korea and seeks ways to cooperate amid the rapidly changing global situation. He also called for continued strategic communication through various opportunities in the future.

The North Korea-Russia issue was also raised during the South Korea-South Africa summit between Yoon and South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa.

Yoon and Ramaphosa agreed to “continue cooperation so that the international community can send a firm message about North Korea’s provocations and the Pyongyang-Moscow military ties,” according to Seoul’s presidential office.

The South Korea-South Africa summit also focused on discussions into supply chains.

“Cooperation in the key mineral sector is becoming increasingly important in responding to global supply chain stability,” Yoon and Ramaphosa said during the summit.

Yoon congratulated Ramaphosa on his reelection this year, which marks the 30th anniversary of the end of apartheid. He said, “I hope that we will continue to strengthen the mutually beneficial partnership between the two countries that has been strengthened since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992.”

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, second row center, poses for photos with other G20 countries’ leaders during the launch ceremony of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty as part of the G20 summit at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Monday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Yoon also expressed gratitude to the South African people, noting the participation of a South Korean air force unit in the Korean War of 1950-1953 on the side of South Korea and UN forces.

Ramaphosa said South Korea’s successful economic development experience has inspired many countries, including South Africa. He expressed a desire to bolster practical cooperation in various areas, such as trade, investment and energy, and to work closely with South Korea, a "model country," to improve the level of education in South Africa.

The two leaders expressed hope that South Africa successfully hosts next year's G20 summit, the first in Africa, and agreed to communicate and cooperate closely, Seoul’s presidential office said.

At the third session of the G20 summit held on Tuesday under the theme of sustainable development and energy transition, Yoon promised to strengthen support to climate-vulnerable countries so that they overcome the climate crisis and achieve the transition to clean energy.

“The role of the Carbon-Free Energy (CFE) Initiative is important in achieving the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 and resolving the energy transition gap,” Yoon said during the session.

Yoon proposed the CFE Initiative at the UN General Assembly in September last year.

“We will continue to expand green official development assistance (ODA) to climate-vulnerable countries and play the role of a ‘green ladder,’” said Yoon, announcing the status of the additional contribution of $300 million to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) pledged at the G20 summit in New Delhi last year. He also reaffirmed the plan to contribute $7 million to the loss and damage response fund pledged at this year’s South Korea-Africa summit.

Yoon will conclude his G20 summit schedule after attending the closing ceremony late Tuesday and return to Seoul.

BY HUH JIN, LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]