Yoon Holds Summit with Cambodian Prime Minister... First Official Event for Mrs. Kim in 153 Days (Comprehensive)

Discussion on Defense, Trade, Development Cooperation, and Infrastructure Construction

President Yoon Suk-yeol is shaking hands with Hun Manet, Prime Minister of Cambodia, at the Korea-Cambodia summit held on the 16th at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon Suk-yeol held a summit meeting with Hun Manet, Prime Minister of Cambodia, at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the morning of the 16th, discussing ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in defense, trade, development cooperation, and infrastructure construction. First Lady Kim Geon-hee resumed official activities on the same day. It was the first time in 153 days that First Lady Kim, who had not appeared in public since her visit to the Netherlands in December last year, carried out an official schedule.

This visit marks the first bilateral visit in 10 years since Prime Minister Hun Sen's official visit in December 2014. Since the reestablishment of diplomatic relations in 1997, the relationship between the two countries has continuously developed, and this visit established it as a "strategic partnership." As the official start of this year's ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit diplomacy, it was decided to accelerate the implementation of the Indo-Pacific strategy and the Korea-ASEAN solidarity initiative.

In particular, through the adoption of the "Joint Statement on the Establishment of the Korea-Cambodia Strategic Partnership," cooperation will be strengthened across all fields including politics, defense, security, economy and finance, society, culture, and development cooperation. Defense cooperation will be expanded, including promoting the first-ever port call of a South Korean naval vessel in Cambodia in the second half of this year, and cooperation in responding to transnational crimes will be strengthened by signing a memorandum of understanding on drug control.

Furthermore, practical cooperation will be expanded with Cambodia, one of the fastest-growing countries in ASEAN. Utilizing the Korea-Cambodia Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which came into effect in December 2022, efforts will be made to create conditions for expanding trade and investment between the two countries. A regular consultative body will be established between the Korean Embassy in Cambodia and the Cambodia Development Council to support the entry of Korean companies and resolve difficulties.

As employment fraud targeting Koreans in Cambodia has recently surged, cooperation on related responses will be strengthened, and collaboration will also be pursued regarding multicultural families (about 10,000 households) in Korea who serve as a bridge between the two countries and Cambodian migrant workers. Prime Minister Hun Manet, who arrived in Korea the day before, will stay for the official visit until the 18th.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the Korea-Cambodia summit held on the 16th at the Yongsan Presidential Office Building in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The day's events proceeded in the order of signing the guestbook, commemorative photo session, summit meeting, document signing ceremony, and official luncheon, with First Lady Kim attending the official luncheon. Since First Lady Kim had not appeared in official diplomatic activities for a long time, it is expected that she will begin her public appearances starting with the official luncheon hosted by Cambodia. During the schedule with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, who visited Korea with his spouse on the 23rd of last month, First Lady Kim only participated in private events for the spouses of heads of state. At that time, the presidential office did not release photos or specific schedules of First Lady Kim.

First Lady Kim has missed all major public events this month, including Children's Day, which she attended last year, and it is known that she also decided not to attend the Buddha's Birthday celebration ceremony held at Jogyesa Temple in Jongno-gu, Seoul, the day before, after considering accompanying the event.

With First Lady Kim resuming official activities after a period of low profile, attention is focused on whether she will embark on full-fledged activities such as overseas visits in the future. President Yoon made 13 overseas trips last year but has not traveled abroad this year. A visit to Germany and Denmark scheduled for February was postponed due to the April 10 general election and collective actions by the medical community. However, ongoing investigations into First Lady Kim are expected to be a burden. Amid controversies over the sudden personnel changes in the prosecution related to the investigation of First Lady Kim, Lee Chang-soo, the newly appointed Seoul Central District Prosecutor, said on his first day at work, "I intend to take all measures to ensure that the investigation is not hindered."

At a press conference marking his second anniversary in office on the 9th, President Yoon apologized for the concerns caused to the public by his wife's unwise conduct, saying, "I apologize for the part where my wife’s unwise behavior caused worry to the people." However, regarding the opposition party's push for a "Special Investigation Law on First Lady Kim Geon-hee," he called it a "political attack and political act," indicating his intention to exercise the right to request reconsideration (veto) in the future.