President Moon Jae-in from Oct. 28 to Nov. 5 will make official visits to Rome, Italy, Glasgow, the U.K, and Budapest, Hungary. Shown is Cheong Wa Dae Spokesperson Park Kyung-mee on Oct. 22 giving a briefing on the president's nine-day trip at Chunchugwan Press Center of the presidential office. (Yonhap News)
By Xu Aiying and Kim Hayeon
President Moon Jae-in from Oct. 28 to Nov. 5 will go on a nine-day visit of Europe with stops in Rome, Italy, Glasgow, the U.K., and Budapest, Hungary.
Cheong Wa Dae Spokesperson Park Kyung-mee on Oct. 22 gave a briefing on the itinerary of the president's three-nation European trip.
During his official visit to the Roman Curia on Oct. 29, the president will hold meetings with Pope Francis and Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin. This will be the chief executive's second visit to the Curia following his first in October 2018.
They will discuss pending global issues such as promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula, the COVID-19 pandemic, and climate change.
From Oct. 30-31, the president will attend the summit of the Group of 20 economies in Rome. He will take part in all three sessions of the event -- "International Economy and Health," "Climate Change and Environment" and "Sustainable Development" -- and hold dialogue with major world leaders on international cooperation in inclusive and sustainable recovery and reconstruction.
From Nov. 1-2, President Moon will attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, give a keynote speech and speak at a session on "action and solidarity." With the leaders of some 130 countries to attend, COP26 is expected to be an opportunity to unite the international community's political will to respond to the climate crisis.
At the invitation of Hungarian President Janos Ader, President Moon on Nov. 2 will make the first state visit to the Eastern European country by a Korean leader in 20 years since President Kim Dae-jung did so in 2001. During his three-day stay, President Moon will hold summits with President Ader and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and attend a business forum of the Visegrad Group.
The group is a regional consultative body comprising the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary. President Moon will hold a summit with the leader of each of the four countries. The group is Korea's second-largest trading partner and largest export market within the European Union.
The president's visit is expected to serve as an opportunity to expand cooperation in promising industries such as electric vehicles and batteries.
xuaiy@korea.kr