Leaders of Both Countries: "Equitable Vaccine Distribution Is Important to Overcome COVID-19"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Eun-byeol] President Moon Jae-in and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a summit on the morning of the 13th (local time) and agreed on the need to strengthen security cooperation between South Korea and the UK. The two leaders met on the occasion of the G7 summit held in Cornwall, UK.
Park Kyung-mi, spokesperson for the Blue House, conveyed that President Moon said at the meeting, "The UK is a blood ally of South Korea, and Koreans remember the precious friendship as more than 80,000 British soldiers participated in the Korean War."
In response, Prime Minister Johnson stated, "The UK values its partnership with South Korea and looks forward to strengthening security cooperation with Korea."
In particular, President Moon introduced the North Korea policy shared at the recent summit with US President Joe Biden, saying, "Since we have expressed a strong willingness to engage in dialogue, we expect North Korea to respond positively." Prime Minister Johnson mentioned that the UK has an embassy in North Korea and said, "We support the peace process on the Korean Peninsula."
The two leaders also evaluated each other's responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and promised to create an opportunity for the two countries to become steadfast partners in the post-COVID era.
President Moon praised the UK's successful response to COVID-19, based on its high vaccination rate. He also explained that South Korea aims to achieve herd immunity by November through rapid vaccination. President Moon said, "With Prime Minister Johnson's decision, the UK was the first in the world to start vaccinations and is expected to achieve economic growth of over 5%, becoming a global model for overcoming the crisis," and Prime Minister Johnson responded, "Under President Moon's leadership, South Korea has been a model in quarantine measures. There is much to learn from Korea."
Furthermore, when President Moon introduced that "the UK's AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine is being used as the main vaccine in South Korea," Prime Minister Johnson proposed establishing a consultative body to explore deep cooperation in various fields between the two countries.
The two leaders also reached a consensus that equitable distribution of vaccines is crucial for overcoming the global COVID-19 pandemic. The Blue House explained, "In the future, in the event of large-scale infectious disease outbreaks including COVID-19, we will seek to expand cooperation in areas such as vaccine research and development to enable rapid development and equitable distribution of vaccines."
Spokesperson Park explained, "The two leaders also exchanged views on climate change issues." President Moon said, "We are well aware that the UK was the first among G7 countries to legislate 'carbon neutrality by 2050,'" and added, "South 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 attended the 2021 P4G Green Future Summit via video message," and highly praised South Korea's efforts to address climate change. President Moon and Prime Minister Johnson also exchanged broad views on marine pollution, the Iran nuclear issue, and the situation in Myanmar.
In addition, President Moon and Prime Minister Johnson exchanged opinions on marine pollution, the Iran nuclear issue, and the situation in Myanmar.
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