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| ▲ President Yoon Suk Yeol (R) speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul on June 13, 2023. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo briefs reporters on President Yoon Suk Yeol's upcoming trip to France and Vietnam, at the presidential office in Seoul on June 13, 2023. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) Yoon-France-Vietnam
(LEAD) Yoon to visit France to promote Expo bid, Vietnam for state visit
(ATTN: UPDATES with details; ADDS photo)
By Lee Haye-ah
SEOUL, June 13 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol will visit France next week to promote South Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo and then travel to Vietnam for a state visit, his office said Tuesday.
Yoon will visit Paris from Monday to Wednesday to attend a general assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the international body in charge of overseeing the World Expo, according to Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo.
On Tuesday, Yoon will attend presentations given by the four countries competing to host the Expo and on Wednesday attend an official World Expo reception hosted by South Korea to rally support from foreign delegations, Kim told a press briefing.
The four candidate cities are Busan, South Korea; Rome, Italy; Odesa, Ukraine; and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The winning bid will be announced following a vote by BIE member states in November.
Yoon disclosed his plan to attend the general assembly during a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day, saying the presentation will be "an opportunity to show the distinct vision of the Busan Expo."
Yoon will also hold a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, wrapping up a series of summits with the leaders of all member states of the Group of Seven and the European Union conducted over the past two months, Kim said.
"As France is the origin of the universal values of freedom, human rights and rule of law pursued by the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, there will be in-depth conversations during this summit on expanding cooperation between the two countries through a value alliance," he said.
In particular, the two leaders are expected to talk about their countries' respective Indo-Pacific strategies, cooperation on international security issues, and deepening cooperation on artificial intelligence, space and cutting-edge future industries.
From Paris, Yoon will travel to Vietnam for a three-day state visit from Thursday. He will hold a summit with Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong on Friday and discuss ways to deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established between the two countries last year.
He will hold separate talks with Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Vuong Dinh Hue, chairman of Vietnam's National Assembly, and also attend a state dinner.
"Through this state visit, we plan to check various institutional bases to enable more active economic activities between the two countries and expand the horizon of bilateral cooperation to new areas, such as critical mineral supply chains, new and renewable energy, innovative science and technology, and smart cities," Kim said, noting that Vietnam is South Korea's third-largest trading partner.
Four different business events have been planned, including a South Korea-Vietnam partnership fair and a luncheon with South Korean businesspeople in Vietnam.
A 205-member business delegation will accompany Yoon on the visit, the largest yet under the current administration, including Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung.
This will be Yoon's first bilateral visit to a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
First lady Kim Keon Hee will accompany him to both France and Vietnam.
(END)
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