Moon to visit US military cemetery in Virginia

WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in will visit Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday in his first official activity of a five-day trip to the United States, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

He arrived in Washington D.C. on Wednesday afternoon for summit talks with President Joe Biden on such issues as North Korea, COVID-19 vaccines and bilateral economic cooperation.

Moon is scheduled to pay tribute at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, located on the outskirts of the capital, on Thursday morning.

He is to lay a wreath at the monument dedicated to fallen American service members whose remains have not been identified, including those from the 1950-53 Korean War.

Moon made three previous trips to Washington since his inauguration in 2017 but it will be his first visit to the cemetery, which the US calls the country's "most hallowed ground."

In the afternoon, he plans to visit Capitol Hill for a meeting with Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives, and other leaders of the chamber.

He is expected to request congressional support for the Korea peace process and Seoul's bid to emerge as a global vaccine production hub.

On Friday, Moon will hold a summit with Biden at the White House. (Yonhap)