Moon to Visit UK, Austria, Spain from 11th to 17th... Blue House States "Open to ROK-US-Japan Communication" (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] President Moon Jae-in will visit the United Kingdom, Austria, and Spain sequentially from the 11th to the 17th, coinciding with his attendance at the Group of Seven (G7) summit. Regarding the trilateral summit between South Korea, the United States, and Japan, as well as the South Korea-Japan summit, he stated, "There is nothing to confirm," but added that he is "open to communication."

Park Kyung-mi, the Blue House spokesperson, said in a briefing at the Blue House on the 9th, "President Moon will attend the G7 summit held in Cornwall, UK, from the 11th to the 13th (local time) at the invitation of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson."

Attending the G7 summit as an invited guest country, President Moon is scheduled to participate in three expanded sessions held over two days, the 12th and 13th, sharing South Korea’s New Deal experience centered on green and digital initiatives.

In the first expanded session focused on health, discussions will cover expanding vaccine supply and strengthening global health system response capabilities. The second session, themed on open societies and economies, will discuss enhancing cooperation among neighboring countries for the value of open societies. The third session, focusing on climate change and the environment, will address climate response measures through green growth and strategies to counter biodiversity loss. Spokesperson Park added, "In addition to attending the G7 meetings, bilateral talks are also planned."

After the G7 schedule, from the 13th to the 15th, President Moon will make a state visit to Austria, holding summit talks with President Alexander Van der Bellen and Prime Minister Sebastian Kurz. Spokesperson Park emphasized, "Next year marks the 130th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Austria, and President Moon will be the first Korean president to visit Austria," adding, "This visit will elevate the friendly cooperative relationship between the two countries to a higher level."

From the 15th to the 17th, he will make a state visit to Spain, meeting King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Pedro S?nchez. This visit marks the first state visit to Spain since the COVID-19 pandemic. Spokesperson Park stated, "Discussions will focus on enhancing cooperation related to COVID-19, strengthening customs cooperation, and diversifying cooperation in eco-friendly future industries and economic sectors." To promote parliamentary diplomacy between the two countries, Democratic Party lawmakers Hong Young-pyo and Yoon Gun-young will accompany the president as special envoys during the state visit.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

It remains uncertain whether trilateral summits between South Korea, the United States, and Japan, or South Korea-Japan summits will take place during the G7 visit, but the possibility of informal "pull-aside" meetings cannot be ruled out. A Blue House official said, "At this point, there is nothing to confirm, but we are always open to various communications among the three countries or dialogues with Japan," adding, "The G7 meetings have relatively few attending leaders and staff, so even if formal meetings are not scheduled in advance, leaders often talk freely standing or sitting on sofas."

Business leaders are expected to attend separately during the Austria and Spain tours. The official explained, "Business leaders will not accompany the president, but similar to the previous US event, separate events with business leaders will be held."

A Blue House official stated, "South Korea’s invitation to the G7 summit for the second consecutive year following last year demonstrates our country's elevated international status, standing shoulder to shoulder with the G7 beyond the G20 (Group of Twenty)." He added, "This will be an opportunity to actively participate in addressing global issues such as climate change, meet international expectations, and broaden the horizons of diplomacy as the world's 10th largest economy and a democracy."

The official further explained, "The state visits to Austria and Spain are in response to the visits of the Austrian Prime Minister and the Spanish King to South Korea in 2019, marking the resumption of face-to-face summit diplomacy with European countries after COVID-19." He added, "The Austria visit is the first since diplomatic relations were established in 1982, and the Spain visit is the first state visit in 14 years."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.