Biden Indicates Late Next Month Visit to Japan... Will the First Summit with Korea Take Place?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] U.S. President Joe Biden has expressed his intention to visit Japan around the 24th of next month to attend the Quad summit. This has raised the possibility of him visiting South Korea as well. If this happens, the first South Korea-U.S. summit between President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol, who will be inaugurated next month, and President Biden could take place.

According to major foreign media, President Biden stated during a virtual summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the morning of the 11th (local time) that he looks forward to meeting in Japan around May 24. This is interpreted as a reference to the Quad summit, a four-country consultative group consisting of the U.S., Japan, Australia, and India aimed at countering China. The Quad leaders have agreed to hold an in-person meeting in Japan this spring.

There is also speculation that President Biden might visit South Korea around the time of his Japan trip. Since his inauguration in January last year, President Biden has hosted the leaders of South Korea and Japan in the U.S. for summits but has not yet visited either country directly.

If President Biden visits South Korea, there is a strong possibility that the first South Korea-U.S. summit between President-elect Yoon, who will be inaugurated on the 10th of next month, and President Biden will be held. In this case, it would be the earliest summit between South Korean and U.S. presidents after inauguration in history.

President Moon Jae-in held a summit with then-U.S. President Donald Trump 51 days after his inauguration, and former President Park Geun-hye held her first summit with then-President Barack Obama 71 days after her inauguration.

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