By Kim Yeo-jin and Lee Jihae

President Moon Jae-in on Sept. 19 arrived in New York on the first leg of his trip to the U.S. to attend the United Nation General Assembly. He will later visit Honolulu, Hawaii.

He and first lady Kim Jung-sook arrived in the Big Apple at 3:47 p.m. at John F. Kennedy International Airport, and were greeted by Permanent Representative to the U.N. Cho Hyun and Ambassador to the U.S. Lee Soo Hyuck.

The president on Sept. 20 will give the opening address in the morning at the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Moment.

The annual event arranged by the U.N. seeks to encourage the world to pursue SDGs. President Moon is the only head of state attending this year's opening session of the assembly to be invited to the SDG Moment.

K-pop sensation BTS will also attend the assembly with the chief executive as "special presidential envoy for future generations and culture."

On Sept. 21, the president will give a keynote address at a high-level U.N. meeting. With this year marking the 30th anniversary of both Koreas jointly joining the world body, he is expected to explain his administration's steadfast efforts for the denuclearization and establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula.

On the sidelines of the U.N. session, President Moon will also hold bilateral summits with the U.K., Slovenia and Vietnam, as well as a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Other items on the itinerary are talks with the CEO of multinational pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, a ceremony for the signing of an agreement on vaccine cooperation and an interview with ABC News of the U.S.

From Sept. 21-22, the president will visit Honolulu, where he will lay flowers at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (aka the Punchbowl), attend a memorial service honoring Korean independence fighters, and take part in a ceremony for the transfer of the remains of Korean and U.S. soldiers killed during the Korean War.

lvzhen@korea.kr