Yoon on Meeting with Bin Salman at Residence: "Meaningful to Show Personal Space of Leaders"

President Yoon: "Whether the next summit will be held at the residence must be discussed with the other side"
Trilateral US-Japan-South Korea meeting: "A declaration that the three countries will address global issues together"
South Korea-China meeting: "Agreed to communicate and enhance cooperation to avoid misunderstandings"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 18th described his first residence meeting with Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia as "a meeting held yesterday in a very pleasant atmosphere, as it has a separate meaning in showing the personal space of a head of state."

President Yoon said to reporters on his way to the Yongsan Presidential Office building that day, "Yesterday, there was a visit from Crown Prince and Prime Minister bin Salman of Saudi Arabia at the residence. We also held a top-level summit and a private meeting with Crown Prince bin Salman yesterday," adding.

When asked by a reporter about the content of the private meeting at the residence, President Yoon said, "(Regarding what was exchanged) it is a bit inappropriate to disclose the details of a private meeting with a foreign head of state. There were consultations at both the Yongsan office and the residence, and accordingly, I invited him to the residence," he explained.

When another reporter asked, "Will the residence be used again for the next summit?" President Yoon replied, "The residence was built 54 years ago. Although it has been remodeled and redecorated, I think it might be somewhat insufficient for hosting foreign guests," and added, "Whether the next summit will be held at the residence will need to be discussed with the other side."

President Yoon also mentioned the achievements, saying, "Yesterday, during the meeting at the residence with Crown Prince bin Salman, we signed more than 20 memorandums of understanding (MOUs) in areas such as infrastructure, defense industry, nuclear power, and hydrogen. The Crown Prince showed great interest in K-content," and added, "There was a comprehensive and inclusive mutual cooperation and an announcement of Saudi Arabia's investment plans."

Regarding his diplomatic activities, including the ASEAN-related summits, the G20 summit, the Southeast Asia tour since the 11th, the meeting with Crown Prince bin Salman, and the Korea-Netherlands summit, President Yoon expressed gratitude, saying, "It can be said that it has been a diplomatic week of more than a week. Thanks to the support of the people, we have smoothly carried out a series of important diplomatic events."

President Yoon explained, "At the ASEAN meeting, we announced the Indo-Pacific strategy we had prepared and the Korea-ASEAN solidarity initiative. Then, we held the Korea-US-Japan summit, which can be seen as a declaration that the three countries will work together not only on North Korea's nuclear issue and security but also on economic security, climate, health, and other global issues."

He continued, "Also, the meeting with President Xi Jinping went smoothly in my view. Going forward, high-level officials from Korea and China will meet frequently and communicate to avoid misunderstandings on mutual economic and security issues and to enhance cooperation. President Xi mentioned that it would be good to have frequent meetings not only among officials but also among the private sectors," he added.

Regarding the Korea-Netherlands summit held the previous day with Prime Minister Mark Rutte, President Yoon said, "In the afternoon, Prime Minister Rutte visited for a meeting and had a conversation with the ASLM chairman and CEOs of Samsung and SK. The most important aspect of the relationship with the Netherlands is semiconductors, and since the two countries have a complementary structure, the content was about strengthening cooperation," he conveyed.

About the day's diplomatic schedule, President Yoon said, "Today, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will visit Yongsan for the Korea-Spain summit. Since establishing diplomatic relations with Spain, this is the first time a Spanish prime minister has visited Korea for a bilateral summit excluding multilateral meetings," emphasizing, "Since the Korean and Spanish governments need to actively support private-led economic cooperation, today's summit also has great economic significance."

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