Moon heads to Washington for summit with Trump

President Moon Jae-in sets off to Washington on Wednesday for a crucial summit meeting with US President Donald Trump, scheduled for Friday.

It will be Moon’s first summit, taking place 51 days into his term -- the earliest one-on-one meeting with a US president for any South Korean president.

The South Korean presidential office has stated that the goal of the meeting is to build trust and friendship between the two leaders, and that the official agenda focuses on strengthening the alliance and cooperation in the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Ahead of Friday’s summit, Moon will meet with Vice President Mike Pence, and lay flowers at a Korean War monument in Washington, along with US veterans of the conflict. Moon and Pence will hold a meeting, after which Moon will attend a conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and speak about his security and foreign relations policies.

In line with Cheong Wa Dae’s emphasis on highlighting the alliance, Moon’s trip will start with the South Korean leader paying respects at the recently unveiled monument for the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, also known as Jangjin Lake Campaign, on Wednesday.

The battle took place in the winter of 1950 during the Korean War and enabled civilians to be evacuated from Hungnam, South Hamgyong Province in North Korea. Moon’s parents, who originate from Hungnam, were along the evacuees. Moon’s first day in the US will wrap up with an event organized by the Korean and US chambers of commerce, where he is scheduled to give a speech emphasizing the importance of economic cooperation between the two nations.

On Thursday, Moon will meet with leaders of the US Congress to discuss ways to strength the alliance, and attend a welcome dinner at the White House.

Next Wednesday, the leader will visit Germany on his second overseas trip, where he will make a debut on the global diplomatic stage by attending the G-20 summit to be held in the European country, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday.

Moon will first head to Berlin for an official two-day visit that will include bilateral talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

“President Moon is set to exchange views with his German counterparts on a wide range of issues that will include ways to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, enhance the countries’ cooperation on establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula, their joint support for free global trade and other global issues,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Park told a press briefing.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)