What to know about Biden’s Korea trip

U.S. President Joe Biden will arrive in South Korea on Friday afternoon for a summit with President Yoon Suk-yeol to reaffirm the Seoul-Washington alliance, renew America’s role in keeping security in East Asia and galvanize international trade in the Indo-Pacific region.

Biden’s Seoul visit marks the first leg of his visit to the Indo-Pacific region as the U.S president and comes ahead of his follow-up visit to Japan. The visit also comes just 11 days after Yoon was inaugurated — the shortest period ever for an American president to pay a visit to the Asian country.

“President Biden’s decision to visit South Korea prior to his visit to Japan manifests the importance the Biden administration places on South Korea as a key ally and an important strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific,” according to Victor Cha and Ellen Kim in their co-written piece, “The First Biden and Yoon Summit,” posted on the website of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Yoon will accompany Biden on a visit to a Samsung Electronics chip manufacturing complex right after arriving in Korea on Friday. His visit to the chip manufacturing plant is a symbolic move showing that Biden’s first summit with the newly-elected South Korean president will highlight their common slogan that economic security is closely tied to national security.

Biden’s visit had been discussed between the two countries as early as when the presidential transition committee was active right after Yoon was elected in March, according to Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy director of the Office of National Security of South Korea.

“The two leaders of the countries will meet each other at least once each day during Biden’s stay here,” Kim said in a press conference at the presidential office in Seoul’s Yongsan District, Wednesday. The two leaders will hold their summit on Saturday.

Prior to the summit slated for Saturday afternoon, Biden will visit Seoul National Cemetery to pay tribute to the country’s fallen patriots. Arriving at the presidential office at about 1:30 p.m., the two leaders will meet and head to Yoon’s office on the fifth floor, where the summit will start with a small-group meeting. “Issues to be dealt with, in the smallgroup meeting will include North Korea, what policies should be taken against North Korea, and other geopolitical issues in East Asia,” Kim said.

Strengthening economic security

Following the small-group meeting, the two leaders will move to a larger room for a guest reception next to Yoon’s office for a more extensive summit, discussing broader subjects, such as economic security, cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, and other global issues. The two meetings will altogether last about 90 minutes, according to Kim.

Officials of the two countries will then part and list the agreed terms in documents. At about 4 p.m., they will meet again on the basement level where the two countries will hold a joint press conference and announce the agreed terms. The summit will end after the two leaders answer questions from journalists.

The two presidents are then scheduled to meet again for dinner at the National Museum of Korea, which is in the vicinity of the presidential office in Yongsan. Starting at about 7 p.m., the party will see a South Korean delegation consisting of some 50 guests, including Yoon’s aides from the presidential office and the Cabinet, representatives from the National Assembly and business leaders in the country, as well as dignitaries from academia, culture and sports.