The Korea Herald

지나쌤

PM Han to depart for Britain for King Charles III's coronation on 4-nation European trip

By Yonhap

Published : May 4, 2023 - 10:09

    • Link copied

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks at a meeting on public safety measures on Mar. 27. (Yonhap) Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks at a meeting on public safety measures on Mar. 27. (Yonhap)

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was set to depart for Britain on Thursday for King Charles III's coronation as part of a weeklong trip to Europe that also includes stops in Sweden, Austria and Romania.

Han will first stop in London, where he will attend the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, and meet with leaders from various countries to ask for their support for Seoul's bid to host the 2030 World Expo in the southeastern port city of Busan, Han's office said

Han will attend a reception at Buckingham Palace, hosted by King Charles, on Friday, the office said.

Meetings with several leaders of African nations and the British Commonwealth attending the coronation ceremony are also scheduled on the sidelines.

The trip will then take Han to Stockholm for two days, where he will hold talks with his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson, and discuss regional security issues surrounding the Korean Peninsula and bilateral cooperation.

Sweden provided a field hospital during the 1950-53 Korean War and is a member of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, which inspects the Armistice Agreement that halted the war.

Han is expected to ask Sweden for its continued support for peace on the Korean Peninsula.

He will then visit Vienna, where he will hold talks with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer.

Nehammer previously requested Han's official visit, as the two countries commemorated the 130th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties in 2022.

The visit will then conclude in Bucharest, where Han will meet with his Romanian counterpart, Nicolae Ionel Ciuca, to discuss infrastructure, the defense industry and other areas.

Romania invited Han to mark the 15th anniversary of elevating the strategic partnership between the two countries.

It is his sixth trip abroad since taking office last May. (Yonhap)