After COP26 Schedule, Moon Heads to Hungary... Reinforcing Commitment to 'Climate Change Response'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] President Moon Jae-in, who is touring three European countries to attend the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) summit, completed his schedule in the United Kingdom and departed for his final destination, Hungary, on the afternoon of the 2nd (local time).

President Moon announced through a social network service (SNS) message titled "Leaving Glasgow" that he was concluding his schedule in the UK and heading to Hungary.

President Moon's visit to the UK focused on imprinting the South Korean government's commitment to responding to the climate crisis on the international stage.

First, through the keynote speech at COP26 held the previous day at the Scotland Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow, UK, he announced the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 compared to 2018 levels. This raised the existing target by 14 percentage points.

Also, during the day, he attended the "Global Methane Pledge" ceremony and stated, "We will find methane reduction measures and reduce domestic methane emissions by 30% by 2030," expressing his intention to join the international community's efforts to reduce methane emissions.

While expressing his commitment to responding to the climate crisis, President Moon particularly emphasized that South Korea can serve as a bridge between developed and developing countries in this process. At the "Action and Solidarity" meeting, a COP26 presidency program held the previous day, he said, "Korea is a country that has developed from a developing country to a developed country," and added, "We will contribute to achieving a balanced agreement between developed and developing countries."

Meanwhile, the anticipated South Korea-Japan summit between President Moon and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, which had raised expectations due to their attendance at COP26, did not take place.

From the afternoon of the same day, President Moon is scheduled to carry out his state visit itinerary in Hungary, including mourning the victims of the Hungarian cruise ship accident, holding a summit with the Hungarian president, and attending the Visegr?d Group summit.

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