Biden Delivers Speech at UN General Assembly... Meeting with Moon Becomes Possible (Update)

White House Confirms Biden's Attendance at UN General Assembly
Scheduled to Deliver Keynote Speech on the 21st, Same Day as President Moon

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] U.S. President Joe Biden will attend the United Nations General Assembly in person and deliver the keynote speech on the 21st, the White House announced on the 13th (local time).

The White House previewed in a press release that President Biden plans to visit New York City to attend the UN General Assembly.

President Biden is scheduled to deliver the second speech after Brazil on the first day of the UN General Assembly keynote speeches.

According to the UN, following President Biden, President Moon Jae-in will also deliver the 14th keynote speech at the General Assembly on the same day.

Since the leaders of South Korea and the U.S. will both speak at the UN General Assembly on the same day, attention is focused on whether a natural meeting or bilateral talks between the two leaders will take place.

President Biden also announced the list of four delegates who will attend this General Assembly. The delegation includes Tom Canahan, a renewable energy expert; Sim Para, chairman of the U.S. Advisory Committee on Public Diplomacy; French Hill, a U.S. Representative from Arkansas; and Barbara Lee, a U.S. Representative from California.

This UN General Assembly will allow only four delegates, including the head of state, to enter the assembly hall, considering the COVID-19 situation.

The White House had not officially disclosed whether President Biden would attend the UN General Assembly until now. In August, the U.S. Mission to the UN requested countries to refrain from attending the General Assembly due to concerns over the spread of the Delta variant, leading to speculation that President Biden’s direct attendance might be burdensome.

On the other hand, there have been criticisms that if President Biden attends the UN General Assembly virtually, it would not be sufficient to convey the message to the international community that the U.S. has returned.