King Charles III hosted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his spouse at a glittering banquet at Buckingham Palace Tuesday, as Britain rolled out the pink carpet for a proper state go to aimed toward strengthening commerce and protection ties between the 2 nations.
The U.Okay. authorities hopes the Korean chief’s three-day go to will assist cement an “ Indo-Pacific tilt ” in its overseas and commerce coverage.
The king and Queen Camilla hosted Yoon and first girl Kim Keon Hee at a luxurious white tie and tiara banquet at Buckingham Palace, the place Charles paid tribute to South Korea’s political and financial advances and celebrated its tradition. The monarch even singled out for reward the Okay-pop lady group Blackpink, whose members had been amongst greater than 170 friends within the grand ballroom.
“I applaud Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rose, higher identified collectively as Blackpink, for his or her function in bringing the message of environmental sustainability to a world viewers,” Charles mentioned in his banquet speech. “I can solely admire how they will prioritize these very important points, in addition to being international superstars.”
READ | King Charles invitations South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol for state go to in November
“Sadly, once I was in Seoul all these years in the past, I’m not positive I developed a lot of what may be referred to as the Gangnam Style!” he joked, referring to the worldwide hit music by Korean rapper Psy.
Camilla donned the late Queen Elizabeth II ‘s ruby and diamond Burmese tiara and a pink robe for the event, whereas Kate, the Princess of Wales, selected a white robe paired with what’s referred to as the Strathmore Rose tiara. The headpiece had belonged to Elizabeth’s mom, referred to as the Queen Mother.
Earlier Tuesday Charles and Camilla welcomed Yoon and his spouse at Horse Guards Parade, a navy parade floor in central London. Heir to the throne Prince William and authorities ministers additionally attended the welcome ceremony, the place the king and president inspected rows of troopers from the Scots Guards in grey tunics and bearskin hats.
The visiting couple traveled by horse-drawn coach down an avenue lined with British and Korean flags to Buckingham Palace.
READ | Watch: South Korean President sings at White House. Joe Biden’s response is…
Yoon is also scheduled to carry talks Wednesday with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak centered on commerce, know-how and protection. A protection settlement will see the 2 nations’ navies work collectively to curb smuggling and to implement U.N. sanctions imposed on North Korea to curb its nuclear weapons ambitions.
U.Okay. and Korean officers additionally will formally launch talks on an “upgraded” free commerce settlement to switch their present deal, which largely replicates the preparations the U.Okay. had earlier than it left the European Union.
Britain has launched commerce talks with a number of nations since leaving the EU in 2020, although it has finalized offers solely with Australia and New Zealand. The U.Okay. additionally has joined the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP, an Asia-Pacific commerce bloc that features Japan and 10 different nations.
Sunak and Yoon are anticipated to signal an settlement overlaying cooperation in protection and know-how, together with synthetic intelligence. Britain hosted the primary worldwide AI Safety Summit this month, and South Korea intends to carry a follow-up occasion subsequent 12 months.
Britain additionally plans to put money into South Korean semiconductor manufacturing as a part of worldwide efforts to diversify the availability of the important thing laptop parts. Many of the superior chips are produced in Taiwan, and the coronavirus pandemic and an more and more assertive China have heightened issues about future provide.
Sunak mentioned agreements made throughout Yoon’s go to would “drive funding, enhance commerce and construct a friendship that not solely helps international stability, however protects our pursuits and lasts the take a look at of time.”
