President Moon's State Visit to Australia on the 12th... First Foreign Head of State Invitation Since COVID-19 (Comprehensive)

Celebrating 60 Years of Korea-Australia Diplomatic Relations: 4-Day Australia Visit Focused on Mineral Supply Chains, Hydrogen Economy, and Defense Cooperation

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] President Moon Jae-in will make a state visit to Australia for 3 nights and 4 days starting from the 12th. Since Australia has strict quarantine measures, this is the first time Australia has invited a foreign head of state since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Park Kyung-mi, spokesperson for the Blue House, announced at a Chuncheon press briefing on the afternoon of the 7th, "President Moon Jae-in will make a state visit to Australia from the 12th to the 15th for 3 nights and 4 days at the invitation of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison."

In particular, Spokesperson Park emphasized, "It has been 12 years since our head of state last made a state visit to Australia," adding, "Australia is inviting the first foreign head of state since March 2020 after the COVID-19 outbreak."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

A senior Blue House official said, "Australia is a country with very strict quarantine measures," explaining, "The fact that Australia is inviting a foreign head of state for the first time since the border closure means that we are an important partner to Australia."

President Moon is scheduled to hold a summit with Prime Minister Morrison, attend a signing ceremony for agreements, hold a joint press conference, attend a state banquet, visit the War Memorial, and lay a wreath at the veterans' monument. There are also plans for a dinner inviting Korean War veterans, a meeting with the leader of the Australian opposition party, and a roundtable with Australian businesspeople on mineral supply chains.

Spokesperson Park expressed hope, saying, "This visit, which takes place on the 60th anniversary of Korea-Australia diplomatic relations, will serve as an opportunity to deepen the relationship with Australia, a traditional ally that dispatched troops to the Korean War and shares universal values such as democracy and human rights, into a comprehensive strategic partnership."

Spokesperson Park said, "It will be an opportunity to establish a stable supply chain for raw materials and critical minerals, strengthen cooperation in key areas such as the hydrogen economy, defense industry, space, and cyber sectors, and reaffirm Australia's support for the peace process on the Korean Peninsula."

Meanwhile, a senior Blue House official said, "Australia is a resource-rich country abundant in critical minerals and rare earth elements," adding, "As seen in the urea solution incident, it is necessary to reduce dependence on specific countries and diversify import sources. This will be a good opportunity to establish a stable mineral supply chain."

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