South Korean President Moon Jae-in may hold his first face-to-face summit with U.S. President Joe Biden in April at the earliest, Yonhap News Agency said April 2, citing South Korean sources.
Moon and Biden are scheduled to attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Britain in June, which will set the stage for their meeting.
According to people familiar with the matter, the U.S. and South Korea are in “close consultation” to arrange the first Moon – Biden summit before the G7 meeting.
The report said Moon could travel to Washington, D.C., if the two sides agree.
The topic is expected to come up at a meeting between Moon’s senior national security aide Seo Kaoru and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan in the United States later this week.
Another source said the summit agenda is expected to be outlined upon Xu’s return to the United States.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in attends a New Year’s press conference at Cheong Wa Dae on Jan. 18, 2021. (Getty)
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsushin announced at a press conference on April 2 that the summit meeting between Kan and Biden will be held in Washington on April 16, Kyodo News reported on April 2. Originally Kan was scheduled to visit the U.S. from the 8th to the 11th and hold talks on the 9th, but the schedule was delayed by a week. Kato Katsushin explained that it was to ensure that the talks would be safe and secure.
Japanese government sources said that the U.S. side’s priority to deal with the new crown pneumonia (COVID-19) outbreak had an impact on the schedule.
Kato stressed that the first foreign head Biden met face-to-face with was still Kan. He added, “This is a testament to the great importance the U.S. attaches to Japan. I hope it will also be a good opportunity in building a personal relationship of trust between the heads.”
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