Korea, Colombia to hold summit in Seoul next week

President Moon Jae-in and Colombian President Ivan Duque will hold summit talks next week in Seoul to further boost bilateral ties between the two nations, Cheong Wa Dae announced Thursday.

The Colombian president will visit Seoul for three days, from Aug. 24-26. The summit talks will be held Aug. 25 and a dinner banquet will follow later in the day.

The upcoming visit will be the second state visit to Seoul since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, following this week’s visit by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. For Duque, it will be his first overseas trip outside Latin America amid the pandemic.

The state visit comes upon Moon’s invitation to mark the 10th anniversary of strategic partnership between the two nations and the 70th anniversary of Colombia’s participation in the 1950-53 Korean War.

The two leaders will discuss a range of topics during the summit, including bilateral ties, COVID-19 cooperation, cultural exchanges and other regional and global challenges.

The leaders, in particular, will seek synergy in Korea’s New Deal and Colombia’s Promise for Future policies, which both aim for economic recovery and structural reform in the post-COVID-19 era.

More specific discussions are expected to be held in the fields of digital transportation, environment-friendly infrastructure, big technology and smart farming for more extensive partnership.

Climate change is also a key agenda item as Colombia will host the next “P4G” climate summit in 2023, following this year’s summit held in April in Seoul.

As the hosting nations of the most recent and next P4G summits, the two nations will bolster cooperation in tackling climate change and exploring an inclusive recovery.

In honor of Colombia’s participation in the Korean War, the two leaders also will discuss ways to boost ties in veteran affairs and defense, including Seoul’s support program for war veterans and their families. For the welcoming dinner, two Colombian veterans have been invited to join as special guests.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)