South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee have started a three-day trip to the United Kingdom.
Yoon and his first lady arrived in the United Kingdom for the historic visit on Tuesday, November 21, 2023.
The South Korean president will also be the first state visitor that King Charles III will be hosting since his coronation.
Yoon will receive the full red carpet treatment, attending a state banquet at Buckingham Palace and lunching with the king and his wife, Queen Camilla.
But it will also be about business, with Yoon and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak set to agree on deepening cooperation and launch negotiations on an upgraded free-trade deal.
“Trade and investment is expected to be a key focus of the visit, with… trade secretaries from both countries preparing to sign an agreement to launch the negotiations for an upgraded, modern, world-leading Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on Wednesday,” said Downing Stree
The UK government is keen to strike new deals with countries around the world following its departure from the European Union, particularly with fast-growing economies in the Indo-Pacific region.
President Yoon will address parliament in a visit that his office says is a “sign that London considers Seoul a key partner in global cooperation and the Indo-Pacific region”.
Yoon will deliver the speech, expected to be in English, on bilateral ties between the two countries and how to boost the relationship going forward, according to South Korean media.
Yoon will also be accompanied by significant business figures, including Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Chief Chung Eui-sun.
The UK and South Korea have traded a total of goods and services worth $20.1 billion in the year to the end of the second quarter this year.
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