November 20, 2023 12:16
President Yoon Suk-yeol left on Monday for the first state visit to the U.K. in the reign of King Charles III.
During his four-day visit, Yoon is expected to discuss strengthening the bilateral free-trade agreement and expanding opportunities for Korean companies in the U.K. market, which has been badly shaken up by Brexit.
Yoon will address the U.K. Parliament on Tuesday. "Delivering a speech in the local language is an attempt to connect with the hearts of the people in that country," presidential spokesman Lee Do-woon said in a briefing Sunday.
On Wednesday, Yoon will meet with U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to discuss strategic cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence, cyber security, nuclear energy, defense, bioindustry, space, semiconductors, and clean energy.
This year marks the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The next day Yoon travels to Paris, France to support Busan's campaign to host the 2030 World Expo. The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) is set to choose the host city in a General Assembly on Nov. 28.
Busan is up against Rome, Italy and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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