78th UN General Assembly Attendance and Visit to New York, USA
Immediate Summit Meetings with Sri Lanka and San Marino upon Arrival
Request for Interest in Korean Companies' Entry into Czech Nuclear Power Project
On the 18th (local time), President Yoon Suk-yeol visited New York, USA, to attend the 78th United Nations General Assembly high-level session, holding a series of meetings with leaders from Sri Lanka, San Marino, Burundi, the Czech Republic, Denmark, and others from the first day. During these meetings, President Yoon sought customized economic cooperation plans in tourism, agriculture, health, and green growth with each country's leaders, while also conducting sales diplomacy to enable Korean companies to participate in new nuclear power plant construction projects.
President Yoon, accompanied by First Lady Kim Keon-hee, arrived at New York's Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in the morning using the presidential aircraft, Air Force One. After a brief rest at his accommodation, President Yoon moved to the summit venue in downtown New York to begin a relay of bilateral meetings.
At the first summit meeting, the Korea-Sri Lanka summit, President Yoon expressed to Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe his hope to cooperate toward a long-term partnership in areas such as development cooperation, labor, climate change response, trade, and investment, with Sri Lanka being a key partner country in Korea's development cooperation. In particular, President Yoon proposed continuing to discover cooperative projects that contribute to youth job creation, such as the 'Korea-Sri Lanka Central Vocational Training Center.'
President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is visiting the United States to attend the 78th United Nations General Assembly, is holding a Korea-Sri Lanka summit with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe in New York on the 18th (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]
President Wickremesinghe noted that Sri Lankans trained in Korea are working as highly skilled labor in their home country and requested to promote a 'trade and investment cooperation agreement' with Korea. He also expressed hope to expand cooperation with Korea in ICT, trade, labor, regional development, and cultural exchange. Furthermore, both leaders agreed to promptly conclude the currently negotiated 'Korea-Sri Lanka Climate Change Cooperation Agreement.'
President Yoon then held the first-ever summit meeting since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2000 with Alessandro Scarano and Adele Tonnini, Captains Regent of San Marino. San Marino, a country with a population of 30,000 located in the northwest region of Italy, stands out in the tourism sector due to its beautiful natural environment. President Yoon expressed hope that the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on tourism cooperation between the two countries would be signed soon to activate exchanges in the tourism sector. Captains Regent Scarano and Tonnini expressed their expectation to establish the necessary legal frameworks for economic cooperation between the two countries, including tourism, human and trade exchanges, double taxation avoidance agreements, and investment protection agreements.
Not only with San Marino but also with Burundi, a landlocked country in Central Africa, the first summit meeting since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1991 was held. Burundi is this year the Vice Chair of the African Union (AU) and Chair of the East African Community (EAC). President Yoon explained Korea's efforts to expand economic cooperation with Africa to Burundi President Evariste Ndayishimiye and requested the expansion of cooperation in agriculture, health, and other fields between the two countries. President Ndayishimiye expressed his willingness to actively cooperate with the Korean government's efforts to strengthen relations with Africa and hoped for continuous cooperation between the two countries.
In particular, during the Korea-Czech Republic summit with President Petr Pavel, President Yoon requested attention to allow Korean companies to participate in the Dukovany new nuclear power plant project. Currently, Korean companies including Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power have submitted bids for the Dukovany new nuclear power plant project. President Yoon proposed seeking cooperation between the two countries in areas that the Czech Republic is focusing on, such as hydrogen economy development and high-speed railway construction. President Pavel expressed hope to expand cooperation in energy, automotive, and high-speed rail sectors and proposed battery production cooperation with Korea, as the Czech Republic is a country rich in lithium resources.
President Yoon also discussed expanding green cooperation such as offshore wind power, eco-friendly ships, and sustainable agriculture during the summit with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. Denmark is a Nordic ally that dispatched a medical support team during the Korean War. Since 2011, the two countries have held the Green Growth Alliance meeting annually and upgraded their relationship to a 'Comprehensive Green Strategy Partnership' in 2021. Prime Minister Frederiksen expressed hope to further develop the Green Growth Alliance between the two countries and to explore bilateral technological cooperation.
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