Visit to Pacific National Cemetery in Honolulu, US
Bilateral talks with NATO member country leaders in Washington D.C.
President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee are boarding Air Force One at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on the 8th, greeting as they depart for the United States to attend the 75th NATO Summit. [Image source=Yonhap News]
President Yoon Suk-yeol has embarked on a trip to the United States to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit held in Washington D.C. This marks the first time a South Korean president has attended the NATO summit for three consecutive years. Through this visit, President Yoon plans to actively secure South Korea's security interests encompassing the Korea-U.S. alliance, NATO, and the Indo-Pacific region.
On the 8th at around 11 p.m., President Yoon departed from Seongnam Seoul Airport aboard Air Force One, accompanied by First Lady Kim Keon-hee. This is President Yoon’s second overseas trip this year, following his visit to three Central Asian countries last month.
At approximately 10:55 p.m. on the same day, the presidential couple arrived at Seoul Airport and boarded Air Force One, receiving sees-off from Chief of Staff Jeong Jin-seok, Policy Chief Seong Tae-yoon, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Hong Cheol-ho, People Power Party Floor Leader Choo Kyung-ho, People Power Party Emergency Committee Chair Hwang Woo-yeo, Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, and First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Hong-kyun, among others.
Before attending the NATO summit, on the 8th (local time), President Yoon will visit the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii, to lay a wreath and hold a dinner meeting with Korean expatriates. The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific is the resting place of veterans of the Korean War and symbolizes the Korea-U.S. alliance. Former President Moon Jae-in also paid respects here in September 2021.
On the 9th, President Yoon plans to visit the Indo-Pacific Command to receive a military and security briefing from Commander Samuel Paparo, the Indo-Pacific Commander, and encourage the troops stationed there.
President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee are boarding Air Force One at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on the 8th, departing for the United States to attend the 75th NATO Summit. [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the 10th and 11th, he will attend the NATO summit held in Washington D.C. In Washington D.C., he will hold a series of bilateral meetings with NATO member country leaders. He is scheduled to have consecutive bilateral talks with leaders from more than five NATO member countries including the Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland, and Norway, as well as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, discussing various current issues as well as regional and international affairs.
On the evening of the 10th, President Yoon and the First Lady will attend a social dinner hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden and the First Lady, the hosts of the summit. On the morning of the 11th, they will participate in a summit meeting of the four Indo-Pacific NATO partners (IP4): South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
On the afternoon of the 11th, President Yoon will attend the 'NATO Public Forum,' co-hosted by NATO and five U.S. and European think tanks, where he will be the sole speaker for the Indo-Pacific session. Afterwards, he will return to Korea, arriving on the evening of the 12th, concluding his 2-night, 5-day trip.
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