hankyoreh

South Korean President Moon Jae-in waves his hand as he boards Code One at Seoul Air Base for his trip to Washington on Wednesday. (Yonhap News)

South Korean President Moon Jae-in left the country Wednesday for a five-day trip to the US. His trip will include a summit with US President Joe Biden.

Attention is focusing on what the two leaders will offer North Korea to rejoin dialogue between South Korea and the US, following the failure of former US President Donald Trump’s “top-down” approach to North Korea policy. Another big question is what approach Moon and Biden will take on major issues such as the climate crisis and cooperation on COVID-19 vaccines.

Before leaving South Korea, Moon said he would work to get good results from his trip to the US.

On Thursday, Moon was joined by his advisors, including Chief of Staff Yoo Young-min, at Seoul Air Base, where he boarded the presidential airplane, officially called Code One. Other figures who saw Moon off were Democratic Party leader Song Young-gil, Democratic Party floor leader Yun Ho-jung, Minister of the Interior and Safety Jeon Hae-cheol, and 1st Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong-kun.

“Since last year, I’ve only had video conversations with foreign leaders. I’m looking forward to my first trip abroad since the outbreak of COVID-19,” Moon said during a chat with Song before his departure.

Song said he hoped Moon’s visit to the US would serve as an opportunity to set up South Korea as a global vaccine hub and make progress on relations with North Korea, the Blue House said. Moon responded by saying he expects dialogue to go smoothly since Biden’s foreign policy and national security advisors are well-informed about the Korean Peninsula.

First lady Kim Jung-sook isn’t part of the South Korean delegation to the US. “The First Lady won’t be going to the US because there aren’t any events for her to attend there,” a Blue House official said.

The last time that Moon boarded Code One for a trip overseas was a year and a half ago when he visited China in December 2019. He didn’t make any trips abroad last year, as COVID-19 spread around the world.

Moon’s official itinerary in the US will begin Thursday with a wreath-laying event at the Arlington National Cemetery. He’ll meet with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on the same day and then hold a summit and joint press conference with Biden on Friday. Moon will meet with Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, on Saturday. Finally, Moon will drop by a factory of SK Innovation in Georgia on his way back to Seoul on Sunday.

Moon will be tackling a range of issues while in Washington. Now that the Biden administration has completed its review of North Korea policy, the two leaders need to put the finishing touches on their approach to the North Korean nuclear issue.

The US’s Asia-Pacific strategy, including relations with China, is likely to be on the agenda at Moon and Biden’s meeting. Other major items on the agenda are bilateral cooperation on COVID-19 vaccines and investment in semiconductors, batteries, and other high-tech areas, an area of interest for the US.

By Lee Wan, staff reporter

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]