Yoon Arrives in the U.S.... Begins State Visit Schedule for '70th Anniversary of the Korea-U.S. Alliance'

Arrival at Andrews Air Force Base, Goldberg Welcomed as US Ambassador to Korea
5-Night, 7-Day Schedule... Korea-US Summit, Joint Address to Congress, and More

President Yoon Suk-yeol arrived in Washington DC, USA, on the 24th (local time), beginning a 5-night, 7-day state visit schedule.

On the same day, around 1:30 PM, President Yoon arrived at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington DC and disembarked from Air Force One, the presidential aircraft. At the airport, Ambassador Cho Hyun-dong and his spouse, Lee Seung-bae, president of the Washington District Korean Association, Park Yo-han, acting vice-chairman of the U.S. branch of the National Unification Advisory Council, and Kim Sun-hwa, chairwoman of the Washington area Korean School Council, welcomed President Yoon and his spouse. On the U.S. side, Rufus Gifford, chief of protocol; Philip Goldberg, U.S. ambassador to South Korea; Kurt Campbell, NSC Indo-Pacific coordinator; Christopher R. Hill, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs; Edgard Kagan, senior director for East Asia and Oceania at the NSC; and Brian Boback, commander of the 89th Maintenance Wing, were present.

President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee, on a state visit to the United States, arrived at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington DC on the afternoon of the 24th (local time) and reviewed the honor guard during the welcoming ceremony.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

After disembarking from the plane, President Yoon lightly kissed a flower girl, and First Lady Kim Keon-hee shook hands with a boy. President Yoon briefly greeted and shook hands with the attendees at the airport and also bowed his head in respect. Following the national anthem performed by the military band, President Yoon boarded a waiting vehicle and left the airport.

President Yoon’s state visit to the U.S. will proceed from this day until the 30th, spanning 5 nights and 7 days. On the second day of the visit, the 25th, he will discuss local market entry and investment attraction measures through the investment declaration ceremony, the Korea-U.S. Business Roundtable, and the Korea-U.S. Advanced Industry Forum held in Washington DC. Accompanying him is a large economic delegation of 122 members, the largest since the inauguration of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. Key business leaders such as Lee Jae-yong, chairman of Samsung Electronics; Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group; Chung Eui-sun, chairman of Hyundai Motor Company; and Koo Kwang-mo, chairman of LG Group, will also participate. Later that day, President Yoon will visit NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center to meet with Korean-American experts and discuss establishing a cooperative framework with the Space Administration and bilateral cooperation to lead the space economy. In the evening, President Yoon and First Lady Kim will have a social gathering with U.S. President Joe Biden and the First Lady. Additionally, the couple will visit the Korean War Memorial to reflect on the meaning of the alliance.

On the 26th, the main event of President Yoon’s state visit to the U.S., the Korea-U.S. summit, will take place. Following the summit, a state dinner hosted by President Biden and the First Lady in honor of President Yoon and his spouse will be held. On the following day, the 27th, President Yoon will deliver a joint address to the U.S. Congress, reflecting on the 70-year history of the Korea-U.S. alliance and presenting a blueprint for the future alliance the two countries aim to pursue. After the congressional speech, a state luncheon hosted by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be held. After the luncheon, President Yoon is scheduled to receive a direct briefing from U.S. military leaders on the situation on the Korean Peninsula. This event is expected to symbolize the further strengthened Korea-U.S. security cooperation. On the same day, the Global Video Content Leadership Forum will discuss investment cooperation by major global companies in the 'K-content' industry.

Subsequently, President Yoon will travel to Boston and on the 28th will engage in discussions with scholars in the digital and bio fields at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and attend the Korea-U.S. Cluster Roundtable event. At Harvard University’s Kennedy School, he will deliver a policy speech titled “A New Journey Toward Freedom” and participate in a discussion with renowned international political scientist Joseph Nye, distinguished professor. President Yoon will conclude his Boston schedule and depart for home on the 29th.

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