President Yoon Encourages Accompanying Press Corps on Overseas Trip... Asks About Pregnant Reporter’s Well-being

Shaking Hands and Greeting One by One
State Visit to Uzbekistan for 3 Days and 2 Nights

President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee, on a state visit to Uzbekistan, arrived at Tashkent International Airport on the 13th (local time) and greeted as they disembarked from Air Force One, their official aircraft.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is on a tour of the three Central Asian countries, arrived in Uzbekistan, the last state visit destination, on the afternoon of the 13th (local time).

After completing a 2-night, 3-day state visit to Kazakhstan, President Yoon greeted the presidential press corps accompanying him for coverage inside Air Force One before departing for Uzbekistan that day.

During the greetings, President Yoon was introduced to a pregnant reporter by Lee Do-woon, the Chief of Public Relations, and expressed concern, saying, "I was wondering if you were managing the schedule healthily."

President Yoon shook hands with each member of the press corps accompanying the tour and inquired about their well-being.

After encouraging the press corps, President Yoon invited the pregnant reporter and the chief secretary of the press corps to the onboard conference room, where they shared refreshments and had a conversation. He encouraged the pregnant reporter, saying, "I hope you take good care of your health during the business trip."

The reporter who had a conversation with President Yoon had previously stated at last month's "Dinner with the Presidential Press Corps" that her dream was to have three children, and she hoped that the establishment of the Low Birthrate Response Planning Department and the Low Birthrate Chief Secretary position would lead to effective low birthrate measures so that she could give her unborn baby a younger sibling. At that time, President Yoon responded to the reporter's remarks by saying, "That really wakes me up," and promised to prepare innovative low birthrate policies.

On this day, after laying a wreath at the Independence Monument in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, President Yoon will preside over a dinner meeting with the Korean diaspora. On the 14th, he is scheduled to hold a summit with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and discuss key issues such as strengthening the supply chain of critical minerals.

Uzbekistan is the only country in Central Asia that has established a "Special Strategic Partnership" with South Korea. Trade between the two countries reached a record high of $2.46 billion last year.

President Yoon will carry out his Uzbekistan schedule for 2 nights and 3 days starting from this day and will return to Korea on the 16th.