Yoon to Visit NATO and Poland Starting Tomorrow... Focus on Meeting with Kishida

Official Visit to Poland After Attending NATO Meeting in Lithuania
Possible Summit with Japan's Kishida... Discussion on 'Contaminated Water'
Securing Supply Chains and Reconstruction Projects Through Korea-Poland Summit

President Yoon Suk-yeol will visit Lithuania and Poland for a 4-night, 6-day trip starting on the 10th. From the 10th to the 12th, he will attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania, and from the 12th to the 14th, he will make an official state visit to Poland. In particular, there is interest in what message President Yoon will deliver regarding the contaminated water discharge issue, as there is a possibility of a Korea-Japan summit during this trip.

This is President Yoon's second time attending NATO. Having chosen NATO as his first overseas trip after taking office, this time he plans to focus on securing practical benefits through sales diplomacy and establishing South Korea's role in the international community. A key official from the presidential office stated, "Since last year's NATO was a debut in multilateral diplomacy, this time we expect results that reflect responsibility and practical benefits."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Arriving in Vilnius on the night of the 10th, President Yoon will begin on the 11th with a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, followed by a series of summits with leaders from more than five countries including the Netherlands and Norway. South Korea and NATO are expected to adopt documents institutionalizing cooperation across 11 fields such as non-proliferation, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies during this summit. Additionally, President Gitanas Naus?da of Lithuania will host a dinner for NATO allies and partner countries, and there will be an AP4 (South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand) summit. This AP4 summit will be chaired by President Yoon.

The most anticipated event is the summit between President Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. This will be their first summit in two months, with the main topics expected to be the treatment and ocean discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and the import of Fukushima seafood. Prime Minister Kishida is expected to seek understanding from the South Korean government regarding the safety of ocean discharge during a separate meeting with President Yoon. Although the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reached a positive conclusion on the ocean discharge of contaminated water, many countries around the world still oppose it, and Japan is concerned about a potential weakening of its diplomatic influence.

The presidential office stated on the 5th that "we respect the announcement by the IAEA, a representative UN-affiliated international organization in the field of nuclear safety." However, they emphasized that the health and safety of the public will be the top priority, and they plan to monitor whether the implementation and inspection plans proposed by the IAEA and the Japanese government are properly carried out.

On the evening of the 12th, President Yoon will move to Warsaw, Poland, his next destination. This is the first visit by a South Korean president to Poland in 14 years, since President Lee Myung-bak in 2009. The visit is at the invitation of Polish President Andrzej Duda and is an official state visit.

Poland is considered a foothold for South Korean companies entering Europe. In Poland, President Yoon and the Polish president will attend a meeting with 250 business leaders from both countries, where numerous memorandums of understanding (MOUs) will be signed in fields such as new industries, energy, and infrastructure. Accompanying the president on this trip are major business leaders including LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Hanwha Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan, along with 89 businesspeople from sectors such as secondary batteries, defense, nuclear power, and construction, forming an economic delegation.

Poland is the closest country to Ukraine, and it is expected to become a hub for post-war reconstruction. President Yoon plans to meet with South Korean companies involved in Ukraine's reconstruction projects during his visit to discuss government support measures. President Yoon has already clearly expressed his support to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the G7 Hiroshima summit. The two countries agreed to continue discussing cooperation, including humanitarian aid. The presidential office stated that after the summit, both leaders agreed on the necessity of bilateral cooperation for Ukraine's reconstruction and officially confirmed the participation of South Korean companies in reconstruction projects. A presidential office official said, "Since many domestic companies have entered Europe, including Poland, the president will meet with as many of them as possible to listen to their difficulties and convey the government's and companies' one-team philosophy and commitment."