By Kim Young Shin

President Moon Jae-in will visit France, Italy, the Vatican, Belgium and Denmark from Oct. 13 to 21 to reconfirm EU members' support for settling peace on the Korean Peninsula and further explain his administration’s effort for denuclearization.   

Second Deputy Director of the Presidential National Security Office Nam Gwan-pyo briefed the press about the detailed schedule of the president’s visit to Europe on Oct. 11.  

President Moon will arrive at his first destination France on Oct. 13 and host a meeting with the local Korean residents. On the following day, he will be attending a Korea-France Friendship Concert. Korean pop group BTS, who recently appeared on the cover of Time magazine, is one of the casts for the show. 

On Oct. 15, France will host a welcoming event at the Arc de Triomphe for the president. The summit between President Moon and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron will also be held. It is their second meeting having met once before on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg in July 2017.

The president will attend an official reception at Paris City Hall on Oct. 16 and give a speech at the Korea-France Business summit.

He will then fly to Italy and hold a summit with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Oct. 17. On that day, he will also participate in the “Mass for Peace” on the Korean Peninsula at Rome’s St. Peter’s Basilica. He will speak about the Korean government’s effort to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula after the event. The president also meets Pope Francis on Oct. 18.

On Oct. 19, he will attend the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit held in Belgium.

At his last destination Copenhagen, Denmark, President Moon will take part in Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Copenhagen Summit 2018. He will then meet the Danish Queen and the Prime Minister and head back to Seoul.

“During his trip to Europe, President Moon will explain to the leaders of EU about the positive changes made regarding peace on the Korean Peninsula,” said Nam. “The visit will help broaden the understanding and support for Korean government’s effort for the denuclearization and the lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula,” said Nam.

ysk1111@korea.kr