Yoon Holds Summit with Cambodian Prime Minister... First Official Activity of Mrs. Kim in 153 Days (Comprehensive Report 2)

Establishment of Korea-Cambodia 'Strategic Partnership'
Creation of 'Special Economic Zone' and Support for Local Businesses
First Lady Kim Geon-hee Attends Luncheon... Resumes Official Activities

President Yoon Suk-yeol is taking a commemorative photo 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 Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet 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 appeared at an official event since her last public appearance during the Netherlands visit in December last year.

According to the Presidential Office, Prime Minister Hun Manet's visit to Korea was the first in about 10 years since Prime Minister Hun Sen's visit in December 2014. Since the reestablishment of diplomatic relations in 1997, South Korea and Cambodia have continuously developed their bilateral relationship, which was elevated to a "strategic partnership" during this visit. This marks the official start of this year's ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit diplomacy, accelerating the implementation of the Indo-Pacific strategy and the Korea-ASEAN solidarity initiative.

Kim Tae-hyo, the First Deputy Director of the National Security Office, held a briefing at the Presidential Office in the afternoon and said, "We agreed to develop a comprehensive cooperative relationship covering politics, defense, diplomacy, economy and finance, society, culture, as well as climate change and environmental changes, marking a new strategic partnership." He added, "Prime Minister Hun Manet expressed support for Korea's Korea-ASEAN solidarity initiative and firmly supported our country's Indo-Pacific strategy."

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 Presidential Office plans to expand practical cooperation with Cambodia, one of the fastest-growing countries in ASEAN. By actively utilizing the Korea-Cambodia Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which came into effect in December 2022, they aim 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 Korean companies' entry and resolve difficulties.

Centered on this regular consultative body, the possibility of establishing a "Cambodia-Korea Special Economic Zone (SEZ)" will also be explored. Deputy Director Kim explained, "Prime Minister Hun Manet proposed a plan to set up a special economic zone exclusively for Korean companies," adding, "The idea is to plan so that Korean companies in the automobile and electronics sectors can actively invest and freely conduct business activities in Cambodia."

External Economic Cooperation Fund (EDCF) support for Cambodia will also be significantly expanded. Originally, the EDCF was planned at $1.5 billion until 2026, but this will be increased to $3 billion by 2030. A Presidential Office official said, "Although the EDCF involves immediate financial outflow, it is a mid- to long-term investment that benefits our companies," emphasizing, "It signifies deep cooperation and investment in high value-added sectors, digital and eco-friendly green technologies, and future youth workforce development programs."

The two countries plan to expand defense cooperation, including promoting the first-ever port call of a South Korean naval vessel in Cambodia in the second half of this year, and strengthen cooperation in combating cross-border crimes by signing a memorandum of understanding on drug control. Starting this year, the Cambodia mine clearance project supported by Korea will enter its fourth phase, for which Prime Minister Hun Manet expressed gratitude to President Yoon during the meeting.

Additionally, as employment fraud targeting Koreans in Cambodia has recently surged, both sides agreed to cooperate on related responses. They also decided to collaborate on matters concerning multicultural families (about 10,000 households) in Korea who act as bridges between the two countries and Cambodian migrant workers.

President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee are seeing off Hun Manet, Prime Minister of Cambodia, and his spouse Peat Chanmony after an official luncheon at the Presidential Office building in Yongsan, Seoul, on the 16th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

First Lady Kim Geon-hee also attended the official luncheon that day. Before the luncheon, she had a separate social time with the spouse of Prime Minister Hun Manet. Since First Lady Kim had not appeared in official diplomatic activities for a long time, it is expected that she will begin public appearances starting with the official Cambodian luncheon.

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. At that time, the Presidential Office did not release photos or specific schedules of First Lady Kim. She missed all major public events she attended last year, such as Children's Day, and reportedly decided not to attend the Buddha's Birthday celebration ceremony held at Jogyesa Temple in Jongno-gu, Seoul, after considering accompanying the event.

A Presidential Office official explained, "Both governments agreed that it would be appropriate for the spouses to attend the official luncheon together, so the schedule was added," and added, "Since the beginning of this year, First Lady Kim has been playing a role in official schedules for foreign heads of state visiting Korea."

During the summit and luncheon, the story of Ok Rota, whom President Yoon and First Lady Kim met during their visit to Cambodia at the 2022 November Korea-ASEAN Summit, was also mentioned. Rota, who suffered from a heart condition, underwent surgery in Korea following the meeting with First Lady Kim, recovered, and returned to Cambodia. President Yoon invited Rota to the Presidential Office in February last year after recovery and gifted him a soccer ball signed by player Son Heung-min.

A Presidential Office official said, "Prime Minister Hun Manet expressed special thanks during the summit and luncheon regarding this," adding, "President Yoon jokingly asked, 'I gave him a soccer ball, has Rota's soccer skill improved a lot?' and inquired about his well-being."

First Lady Kim Keon-hee, wife of President Yoon Suk-yeol, is seen on the 16th at the Yongsan Presidential Office Building in Seoul, discussing traditional costumes of each country with Mrs. Peat Chanmony, wife of the Cambodian Prime Minister.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

With First Lady Kim, who had been keeping a low profile, resuming official activities, attention is focused on whether she will embark on more active engagements such as overseas visits. 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 involving First Lady Kim are expected to be a burden. Amid controversy over the sudden personnel changes in the prosecution related to the investigation of First Lady Kim, Lee Chang-soo, the new head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, said on his first day at work, "We plan 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 concerns caused by his wife's unwise conduct, saying, "I apologize for causing worry to the public due to my wife's unwise behavior." However, regarding the 'Special Prosecutor Law for First Lady Kim Geon-hee' being pushed by the opposition party, he called it "political attacks and political acts," indicating his intention to exercise the right to request reconsideration (veto) in the future.