Gwangju visit, summit with Biden highlight Yoon’s week
Leaders of S. Korea, US to discuss N. Korea, economic security
President Yoon Suk-yeol and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden will discuss North Korean provocations, economic security and contributions to pending international issues when they meet later this week for their first summit, a senior official said Sunday.
Biden is set to arrive in Seoul, Friday, for the summit with the new South Korean president the following day before visiting Japan, Sunday, on his first Asia trip since his inauguration last year.
The two leaders will discuss how to deal with North Korea’s provocations. They will also discuss bilateral cooperation in supply chain issues, emerging technologies and other topics related to economic security, the senior presidential official said.
Korea’s contributions to international issues
Also on the agenda is South Korea’s contributions to pressing international issues and how to coordinate them.
Yoon’s top priority in the summit is to build trust with Biden and further strengthen the South Korea-U.S. alliance and combined defense posture, according to the official.
The U.S. currently maintains 28,500 troops in South Korea to deter North Korean aggression, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.
The summit and a joint press conference will both be held at the new presidential office in the Yongsan District of central Seoul.
On speculations that Yoon may make a reciprocal visit to the U.S. next month, the official said there were currently no plans for the president to visit the U.S. in June.
Gwangju visit
Yoon will visit the southwestern city of Gwangju this week to commemorate a democracy uprising that led to the massacre of hundreds of civilians in 1980, his office said.
Yoon will travel to Gwangju, 329 kilometers south of Seoul, to attend a state memorial ceremony on the anniversary of the May 18 Uprising at the May 18th National Cemetery.
The visit will mark Yoon’s first trip outside of Seoul since taking office Tuesday.
During a visit to the cemetery in November as a presidential candidate, Yoon said he has always believed in the need to stipulate the spirit of the democratic uprising in the Constitution.
He also apologized in person for his past remarks seen as praising former authoritarian President Chun Doo-hwan, who ordered the bloody suppression of the democracy activists. The crackdown left more than 200 dead and 1,800 others wounded, according to conservative official data.
Ban on rallies near presidential office
Police have decided to continue to ban demonstrations within the 100-meter radius of the new presidential office in Seoul’s central district of Yongsan, sources said May 13.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police have recently instructed Yongsan Police Station and nearby police forces to give a notification of prohibition to those filing for permission to stage rallies near the presidential office, according to the sources. Since President Yoon relocated the presidential office to Yongsan last week, police have banned protest rallies and marches in nearby areas, citing safety, traffic congestion and noise concerns.