▲ President Yoon Suk Yeol waves at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, south of Seoul, on Nov. 14, 2024, before his departure for Peru to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. First lady Kim Keon Hee did not accompany Yoon on the trip. (Yonhap)
▲ President Yoon Suk Yeol (R) shakes hands with Han Dong-hoon, leader of the ruling People Power Party, at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, south of Seoul, on Nov. 14, 2024, before his departure for Peru to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) Yoon-APEC-G20

(LEAD) Yoon departs for Peru to attend APEC summit

(ATTN: CHANGES photo, headline, lead with Yoon's departure)

By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, Nov. 14 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol departed for Peru on Thursday to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, with an eye on a possible meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump during the South America trip.

Yoon will travel to Peru from Thursday to Friday for the APEC summit and head to Brazil on Sunday for the Group of 20 (G20) summit slated for the next two days.

He plans to use the diplomatic stage to pledge South Korea's active role in global issues and call for international unity against military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, according to the presidential office.

Eyes are on whether Yoon could meet with U.S. President-elect Trump during his South America trip to get a diplomatic heads-up before Trump takes office in January.

Yoon has recently begun practicing golf for the first time in eight years in preparation for a possible round with Trump, a presidential official said.

On Friday, Yoon plans to hold a trilateral meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on the margins of the APEC summit in Lima.

Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, said the leaders will discuss the importance of "institutionalizing" the progress in trilateral cooperation, built upon the landmark Camp David summit in August 2023.

In Lima, Yoon will also hold his second summit with Ishiba to discuss bilateral relations as the countries mark the 60th anniversary of the normalization of ties next year, the presidential office said.

He is also scheduled to hold a series of bilateral summits with the leaders of Vietnam, Brunei, Canada and other Asia-Pacific nations.

Talks have been under way to arrange Yoon's bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japan's Ishiba and other leaders from APEC members, the presidential office said.

In Lima, Yoon will affirm South Korea's commitment to free and fair trade at the main session and CEO summit, and accept the chairmanship for the next meeting.

Gyeongju, located about 275 kilometers southeast of Seoul, has been selected to host the 2025 APEC summit.

On the sidelines, he is set to hold a summit with Peruvian President Dina Boluarte on Saturday and attend a ceremony to sign the nameplate of a vessel being built by a South Korean company at a shipyard in Peru.

On Sunday, Yoon will fly to Rio de Janeiro to attend the G20 summit slated for Monday and Tuesday, where he is expected to express South Korea's support for global initiatives addressing famine, poverty and climate change.

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