By Park Hye Ri and Yoon Sojung

President Moon Jae-in on the morning of May 20 visited Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia near Washington to officially start the itinerary of his U.S. trip.

He is on his fourth trip to Washington but the visit to the military cemetery was his first. The facility houses the remains of approximately 400,000 people including Korean War veterans, fallen U.S. soldiers in other conflicts and their family members. 

After paying tribute at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, President Moon visited the cemetery's gallery and donated a commemorative trophy made with clothes and buttons of American veterans of the Korean War.

At the National Mall of Washington, the president went on to visit the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, which honors the 32nd U.S. president who took office in 1933 and overcame the Great Depression with his New Deal policy.

Later that day, President Moon visited Capitol Hill for talks with U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and members of Congress.

In his meeting with congressional members, he emphasized closer bilateral cooperation in health security policy including vaccine supply and the importance of the bilateral alliance in the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. He also discussed the development of high-tech economic sectors, Sino-U.S. relations and Korea-Japan ties.

On the afternoon of May 21, President Moon will hold his first face-to-face summit with U.S. President Joe Biden. The meeting is expected to cover a variety of issues including American policy toward North Korea, COVID-19 vaccines and bilateral collaboration in high-tech industries.

hrhr@korea.kr