Yoon returns home from S. America tour

President Yoon waves before boarding the presidential jet at an air base in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as he returns home from the 31st Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and 19th G20 Summit on Nov. 20, 2024./ Source: Yonhap News

AsiaToday reporter Hong Sun-mi

President Yoon Suk-yeol returned home Tuesday after wrapping up an eight-day trip to South America to attend the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting and Group of 20 summit.

At the APEC meeting in Peru and the G20 summit in Brazil, Yoon strongly criticized Russi and North Korea’s military cooperation and called for international cooperation to prevent it.

In response, leaders of the United States, Japan, the European Union (EU), Canada, and Australia also criticized North Korea-Russia military ties and supported Yoon’s voice.

Yoon’s another achievement is that he met with leaders of various countries, including the U.S., Japan, and China, and strengthened cooperation at the multilateral meetings in South America.

Yoon reaffirmed the strong South Korea-U.S. alliance with U.S. President Joe Biden, and S. Korea-Japan relations with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba during the S. Korea-U.S.-Japan summit.

In particular, the leaders of South Korea, the U.S., and Japan agreed to establish a secretariat to systematically manage cooperation among the three countries in the wake of the summit will serve as a safety device to reduce uncertainties following the launch of the new Trump administration.

One of the greatest achievements is that Yoon met with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time in two years and opened the door to the restoration of the estranged relationship with China.

At the Seoul-Beijing summit held in Peru on Nov. 15, Yoon and Xi expressed their willingness to improve relations by proposing a visit to South Korea and China, respectively.

As the two leaders agreed to accelerate follow-up negotiations, including service investment negotiations, to mark the 10th anniversary of the Korea-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) next year, exchanges between the two countries are expected to become more active.

Yoon’s proposal for South Korea’s contribution to inclusive economic growth, response to the climate crisis, and food security at the multilateral meeting also embodies responsible diplomacy as a global pivotal state.

The agreement between the two countries to jointly develop submarines and cooperate in the supply chain of key minerals at the South Korea-Peru summit, which took place on the occasion of Yoon’s attendance at the APEC summit, is considered a sales diplomatic achievement of Yoon, who claimed to be the “No. 1 salesperson in South Korea.”

The highly-anticipated meeting between Yoon and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump did not take place. Yoon’s side was closely communicating on the matter with Trump representatives but the Trump’s transition team notified that meetings with foreign leaders were unlikely before the inauguration in January next year.

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