SEOUL– President Yoon Suk-yeol will visit Cambodia and Indonesia starting later this week to attend a series of regional summits involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Group of 20 (G-20), his office said Wednesday.
Yoon will leave for Phnom Penh on Friday and attend a South Korea-ASEAN summit, an ASEAN Plus Three summit and the East Asia Summit during a three-day stay, national security adviser Kim Sung-han said during a press briefing.
The gatherings will bring together the leaders of the 10 ASEAN member states and their partner nations, including South Korea, the United States, Japan and China, setting the stage for a flurry of diplomacy on the summits’ sidelines as well.
A presidential official said “no decision has been made” on a bilateral meeting between Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, while a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to occur “naturally” during the course of their attendance at various gatherings.
A summit with U.S. President Joe Biden and a trilateral meeting between Yoon, Biden and Kishida are also currently “under discussion,” the official said.
Yoon will attend the South Korea-ASEAN summit as soon as he arrives in the Cambodian capital and announce South Korea’s Indo-Pacific strategy for freedom, peace, and prosperity, and its new vision for solidarity with the Southeast Asian bloc, Kim said. Yoon then plans to meet with South Korean residents in Cambodia.
On Saturday, Yoon will attend the ASEAN Plus Three summit, which involves ASEAN, South Korea, Japan, and China, and outline Seoul’s plans to increase practical cooperation between ASEAN and the East Asian nations.
The same day he will attend a gala dinner hosted by Cambodia, the current chair of ASEAN, before attending the East Asia Summit (EAS) on Sunday.
The EAS is a “strategic” forum where key security issues are discussed, and Yoon plans to outline South Korea’s basic stance on regional and international issues while also emphasizing its commitment to contributing to peace, freedom and prosperity, Kim said.
While in Cambodia, Yoon will hold separate summits with the leaders of Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines. On Sunday evening, he will depart for Bali.
On Monday, Yoon will attend various business events, including meetings with South Korean businesses in Indonesia, a South Korea-Indonesia business roundtable and a B20 summit involving business groups and entrepreneurs from the G-20 nations.
On Tuesday, the last day of his tour, Yoon will attend the G-20 summit, and give speeches during a session on food, energy and security and another session on health. He will also attend a leaders’ luncheon hosted by Indonesia and a welcome dinner later that day.
“President Yoon’s attendance at the ASEAN summits is significant in that we will present our own special Indo-Pacific strategy,” Kim said, explaining the strategy will complete the basic framework of Yoon’s foreign policy, which he said has been built around the alliance with the U.S. and multilateral diplomacy focused on freedom and solidarity.
The South Korea-ASEAN solidarity vision demonstrates the region’s importance and will be a “historic milestone” in South Korea’s pursuit of “specialized cooperation” with the bloc within the framework of the Indo-Pacific strategy, Kim said.
ASEAN comprises Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
First lady Kim Keon-hee will accompany Yoon on the trip and attend the meeting with Korean residents in Cambodia as well as official programs for leaders’ spouses in both Cambodia and Indonesia.
The president and first lady will depart Bali on Tuesday evening and arrive in Seoul early Wednesday.
Immediately after his return, Yoon will hold summits in Seoul with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Nov. 17 and with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Nov. 18.
Source: Yonhap News Agency