Yoon Holds Phone Call with UK Prime Minister Johnson

Agreed to Strengthen Bilateral Cooperation on North Korea Denuclearization, Batteries, and Carbon Neutrality

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol held a phone call with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, agreeing on the necessity of cooperation for North Korea's denuclearization and discussing ways to develop bilateral relations. In particular, they agreed to strengthen cooperation in areas such as batteries, rare minerals, and carbon neutrality. The two agreed to arrange a meeting as soon as possible after Yoon takes office.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Spokesperson for President-elect Kim Eun-hye stated in a written briefing on the 15th that Yoon and Prime Minister Johnson had a 15-minute phone conversation starting at 5:30 PM the previous day. This was the third call with a foreign leader following US President Joe Biden on the 10th and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the 11th. Chinese President Xi Jinping sent congratulations via a telegram instead of a phone call.

Yoon responded to Johnson's congratulations by saying, "I sincerely congratulate Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom on the milestone of her 70th anniversary of accession (Platinum Jubilee)." He also said, "I hope to closely communicate with the UK, a key ally that participated in the Korean War to protect the Republic of Korea, and further develop the friendly cooperative relationship between our two countries after my inauguration."

Yoon added that he plans to actively review the ‘Korea-UK Bilateral Framework’ proposed by Johnson in June last year and hopes to expand the comprehensive and creative partnership between the two countries into various fields such as batteries, rare minerals, greenhouse gas reduction, and carbon neutrality.

Regarding North Korea's continuous missile tests, the two agreed on the need for cooperation with the US and the United Nations Security Council to bring about North Korea's denuclearization, given the increasingly severe situation on the Korean Peninsula. On Russia's attack on Ukraine, they shared the view that it is a "threat to the values shared by the UK and Korea" and "an attack on global freedom and democracy."

Having begun his active diplomatic engagements through phone calls with major world leaders such as those of the US, Japan, and the UK immediately after his election, President-elect Yoon appears to be strengthening close cooperation with allied countries.

People Power Party lawmaker Cho Tae-yong, an experienced diplomat, commented on the call, saying, "Following US President Joe Biden’s phone call to President-elect Yoon just four hours after his election, the subsequent contacts from Prime Minister Kishida and Prime Minister Johnson within a short period reflect the diplomatic expectations toward the Yoon Suk-yeol administration."

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