<Anchor> At
this G7 summit, there was a lot of interest in whether the Korea-U.S.-Japan or Korea-Japan summit could be held in a simple way, but it did not come to fruition. President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Suga of Japan met face to face for the first time and exchanged brief greetings, but President Moon expressed regret that the meeting did not lead to a meeting.
Correspondent Kwon Ran.
<Reporter>
President Moon Jae-in posted on social
media
after completing the G7 summit schedule, and he could not hide his disappointment that the meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Suga did not take place.
President Moon said, "The first meeting with Prime Minister Suga was a precious time that could be a new beginning for Korea-Japan relations."
The meeting between President Moon and Japanese Prime Minister Suga was limited to only two occasions: they exchanged greetings at the first expanded meeting hall, and then talked for about a minute at the banquet hall.
It was the first face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Suga, who took office in September last year, but it is said that there was no discussion of pending issues between Korea and Japan.
During the G7 meeting, President Moon also met with other key leaders one after another, adding, "We promised to play a role that is commensurate with our national prestige and national strength, especially emphasizing our role as a bridge between developed and developing countries."
During the G7 meeting, President Moon especially focused on solidifying its position as a 'vaccine hub'.
Meeting with the CEO of AstraZeneca and mentioning Korea's vaccine production capacity,
[President Moon Jae-in: I hope that AstraZeneca will also utilize Korea's production capacity for a smoother global vaccine supply.] They
announced their plan to provide US$200 million in vaccine support to developing countries.
After the G7 meeting, President Moon arrived in Austria at dawn today (14th) and starts the schedule for a full-scale state visit from the afternoon.