South Korean President Moon Jae-in left for Washington on the 19th to attend the first face-to-face summit meeting with US President Joe Biden.
After reaffirming the strong US-ROK alliance, the South Korean side would like to directly encourage the Biden administration to resume dialogue with North Korea as soon as possible, which will lead to the improvement of North-South relations.
President Mun departed from an airport near Seoul on a special plane for Washington, USA on the afternoon of the 19th.
It has been one year and five months since President Mun visited China at the summit of Japan, China and South Korea in December.
President Mun is scheduled to attend the first face-to-face summit meeting with President Biden on the 21st, and will be the second foreign leader that President Biden will invite to the White House after Prime Minister Suga.
At the meeting, the South Korean side reaffirmed the strong US-ROK alliance and strengthened cooperation between the three countries including Japan, and then resumed dialogue with North Korea as soon as possible for the Biden administration, which had completed the review of its policy toward North Korea. I would like to work directly with them to improve the North-South relations.
In addition, South Korea's cooperation in a framework called "quad" by Japan, the United States, Australia, and India, the United States' support for the new coronavirus vaccine, and the supply network of semiconductors led by the Biden administration, etc. We would also like to exchange opinions on the so-called restructuring of the supply chain.
US-Korea Summit Meeting Aim of South Korea
In his speech on May 10, four years after taking office, President Mun welcomed the US policy toward North Korea, which was reviewed by the Biden administration, as a "flexible and practical approach." At the US-ROK summit meeting, he said, "We will seek a way to restore dialogue between the North and South and the US and North Korea and re-enter peace cooperation."
South Korean media confirms that it will inherit the 2018 US-North Korea joint statement in Singapore with the goal of "completely denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula," and will give in return, including relaxation of sanctions, in response to North Korea's measures. He says he wants to agree on "gradual denuclearization."
In addition, there is a view that Japan, the United States, Australia, and India may show a certain level of cooperation in a framework called "quad" in order to elicit a positive response from the United States.
However, the Mun administration is in a position to avoid overstimulating China because of expectations for the influence of China, which is South Korea's largest trading partner and North Korea's backing.
Therefore, it is believed that plans are being considered to involve the "quad" non-military areas of cooperation, specifically the working group to launch vaccines, new technologies and climate change.
On the other hand, President Mun has been criticized for delays in securing vaccines over measures against the new coronavirus, and would like to obtain support such as contract production of vaccines and technology transfer from the United States.
To that end, the Biden administration, which aims to break away from dependence on China, is expected to take a stance of cooperating in the restructuring of the so-called supply chain, which is the supply network for semiconductors.
Semiconductors account for about 20% of South Korea's exports.
It is reported that executives of conglomerate companies, including Samsung, will accompany the visit to the United States, and are expected to clarify their intention to invest in the United States on a large scale.