The U.K.'s Prime Minister Theresa May (left) receives a PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games uniform from President Moon Jae-in after their meeting at U.N. headquarters in New York on Sept. 19. (Cheong Wa Dae)
By Yoon Sojung and Kim Young Shin
President Moon Jae-in and U.K. Prime Minister Theresa may held their first bilateral talks in New York on Sept. 19 where they discussed the joint response to North Korea, and helped to further develop the friendship between Seoul and London.
President Moon praised the U.K., a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, for taking an active role in adopting and executing resolutions against North Korea’s nuclear weapons issues. Prime Minister May responded that North Korea’s nuclear and missile threat has become a big risk, not just to Northeast Asia but to world peace and security.
The two leaders agreed to work together with the U.N. Security Council to respond firmly to the North’s provocations and to closely cooperate on a peaceful solution to fundamentally and comprehensively end North Korea’s nuclear weapons issues.
They extensively discussed strengthening ties between Korea and the U.K. They both acknowledged the importance of job creation and the amplification of economic engines of growth and proposed to reinforce cooperation on many fields, such as science and technology and the defense industry. They also agreed to host many events to celebrate "Korea/U.K. 2017-18," which will help interactions between the people of the two countries.
“I welcome Princess Anne, the daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, to Korea next year to attend the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games as a member of the IOC,” said President Moon. “I hope many U.K. tourists come to Korea and join the event to boost world peace and harmony.”
“The U.K. knows very well about the positive effects of hosting the Olympics, from our experience hosting the London 2012 Olympics,” said Prime Minister May. “I hope that Korea successfully hosts the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.”