UK Prime Minister tells President Moon, "UK has much to learn from Korea"

President Moon holds summit with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson... Exchange views on global issues

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on the 13th (local time) during a summit with President Moon Jae-in in Cornwall, "The UK has much to learn from Korea," according to Blue House spokesperson Park Kyung-mi.

Spokesperson Park stated in a written briefing related to the summit, "President Moon, attending the G7 summit held in Cornwall, UK, on the 13th, held a summit with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the host country’s leader, exchanging various opinions on bilateral issues as well as global challenges."

President Moon evaluated, "Thanks to Prime Minister Johnson’s decision, the UK was the first in the world to start vaccinations and is expected to achieve over 5% economic growth despite the COVID-19 crisis, becoming a global model for overcoming the crisis."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Moon added, "This year’s G7, chaired by the UK, will be a definite milestone toward a better global recovery, and I am pleased that Korea is participating in this process."

Prime Minister Johnson said, "Under President Moon’s leadership, Korea has set an example with excellent quarantine measures, and the UK has much to learn from Korea."

President Moon conveyed, "The UK is a blood ally of Korea, and Koreans remember the precious friendship from the Korean War when over 80,000 British soldiers participated." Prime Minister Johnson said, "The UK values its partnership with Korea and looks forward to strengthening security cooperation with Korea."

Sharing the outcomes of the Korea-US summit, President Moon said, "President Biden agrees on a phased approach based on diplomacy and dialogue, grounded in existing agreements such as the Panmunjom Declaration and the Singapore Joint Statement. By appointing a US Special Representative for North Korea, the US has sent a strong message of willingness to engage in dialogue, and we hope North Korea will respond positively."

Prime Minister Johnson said, "The UK maintains an embassy in North Korea" and "supports the peace process on the Korean Peninsula."

President Moon said, "The UK’s AstraZeneca vaccine is being used as a main vaccine in Korea," and Prime Minister Johnson proposed, "Let us create a framework to explore in-depth cooperation between Korea and the UK on various topics."

Spokesperson Park explained, "The two leaders also exchanged views on climate change issues." President Moon said, "The UK is well known as the first G7 country to legislate ‘2050 carbon neutrality,’ and Korea plans to further raise its 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and announce it at COP26 hosted by the UK this year."

Prime Minister Johnson said, "I participated via video message in the 2021 P4G Green Future Summit," highly appreciating Korea’s efforts to address climate change. President Moon and Prime Minister Johnson also exchanged broad opinions on marine pollution, the Iran nuclear issue, and the situation in Myanmar.