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South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday. (Yonhap News)

President Moon Jae-in’s three-day schedule after arriving in Washington on Thursday is packed with events to highlight the importance of the South Korea-US alliance across different venues.

The first day began with a morning visit to Arlington National Cemetery. “Once again, I pay tribute to the American soldiers who fought to defend freedom and democracy in the Republic of Korea during the Korean War,” President Moon said at the cemetery. “The South Korea-US alliance was forged in blood and has grown stronger over many years, and President Joe Biden and I will make the alliance even more powerful and comprehensive.”

After paying his respects at the cemetery, Moon made a surprise visit to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. This was a “Biden special” part of the schedule that was tacked on at the last minute and not made public before Moon’s departure.

At a time when the global economy was reeling from the Great Depression in the 1930s, Roosevelt implemented the New Deal as a series of policies to relieve unemployment through construction projects and introduce a social security system and respect for labor rights. After a guided tour from Hall Delano Roosevelt, President Roosevelt’s grandson, Moon said, “President Roosevelt was able to achieve social unity in a situation where the national crisis caused by the Great Depression could easily have led to division. During the [Korean] presidential election, I also put forward President Roosevelt as a role model.”

South Korean President Moon Jae-in pays tribute at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday. (Yonhap News)

It appeared that Moon planned this event to build rapport with Biden, whose domestic agenda is reminiscent of the New Deal. Since taking office, Biden has pledged to invest US$ 2.25 trillion in social infrastructure, raise the minimum wage, and implement the US$ 1.8 trillion “American Families Plan” that includes support for education and welfare.

“The visit was designed to demonstrate respect for President Roosevelt, who introduced America’s first ever welfare system and standards and led the domestic economic recovery through unifying leadership,” the Blue House said.

Moon attended a ceremony on Friday in which Biden presented retired colonel and Korean War veteran Ralph Puckett Jr. with the Medal of Honor, the highest award for distinguished service in the US. This is the first time the leader of another nation has been invited to such a ceremony and can be interpreted as an attempt to underscore the robustness of the South Korea-US alliance.

Later that day, Moon took part in a groundbreaking ceremony for the Memorial Wall to be built at the Korean War Veterans Memorial near Washington National Mall. The names of soldiers who lost their lives in the Korean War will be engraved on this wall, including 36,574 American soldiers and 7,000 KATUSA troops assigned to US forces from the Korean army.

Moon is scheduled to meet with Cardinal Wilton Gregory on Saturday to discuss efforts toward achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula. It is unprecedented for [a Korean president] to meet with a high-ranking Catholic figure during a visit to the US.

It is believed this meeting is aimed at stirring up interest among Catholics in easing the strained state of US-North Korea relations, while also mindful of a potential visit to North Korea by Pope Francis, who has shown great interest in the issue of peace on the Korean Peninsula.

By Lee Wan, staff reporter

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