Summit Diplomacy
Korea-Canada summit (May 2023)

Korea-Canada summit (May 2023)

President Yoon Suk Yeol and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on May 17 in their summit at the presidential office in Seoul pledged cooperation in sectors like economic security and supply chains and expansion of youth exchange.

In economic cooperation, the two leaders agreed to launch regular "2+2" high-level talks on economic security between foreign and economy ministers to discuss key issues such as supply chain stability and cooperation in clean energy. They also signed a memorandum of understanding on supply chains for core minerals for stronger cooperation in such minerals and energy.

The two leaders agreed to greatly expand exchanges between future generations. Both sides will increase the annual number of working holiday students who can live, work and study in the other country from 4,000 to 12,000, in addition to easing requirements on age and work hours.


Korea-Japan summit (May 2023)

Korea-Japan summit (May 2023)

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on May 7 said at his summit with President Yoon Seok Yeol in Seoul, "My heart aches as many people suffered very painful and sad experiences in the harsh environment at the time," referring to Koreans forced to work during Japanese colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula (1910-45).

Both leaders also agreed to dispatch an inspection team of Korean experts to check on-site water contaminated by radioactivity from the Fukushima nuclear reactor in Japan. For the G7 summit slated for May 19-21 in Hiroshima, Japan, the two will visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in the city and pay tribute at a memorial built for Korean victims of the nuclear bomb dropped there.  

They also congratulated the resumption of "shuttle diplomacy," or the regular exchange of visits by the leaders of the two countries, after a 12-year hiatus and agreed on the need for continuous development of bilateral relations.


Korea-U.S. summit (April 2023)

Korea-U.S. summit (April 2023)

President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden on April 26 officially adopted the Washington Declaration at their bilateral summit in Washington. Through the declaration, the two leaders pledged to "engage in deeper, cooperative decision-making on nuclear deterrence."

Both presidents also agreed to "strengthen standing bodies for consultations on extended deterrence, including the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group, to better prepare the Alliance to defend against potential attacks and nuclear use and conduct simulations to inform joint planning efforts."

Korea-Japan summit (March 2023)

Korea-Japan summit (March 2023)

President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on March 16 held summit talks on improving relations in a larger number of fields like national security, diplomacy and economy. Staying in Japan on a two-day visit, President Yoon spent about 85 minutes in the summit at the Prime Minister's Office of Japan in Tokyo.

Prior to the summit, news was released of Japan lifting its export restrictions on Korea, Seoul's withdrawal of its complaint over the matter with the World Trade Organization and the setup of a "Korea-Japan future partnership fund" by the business sectors of the two countries.

Korea-UAE summit (January 2023)

Korea-UAE summit (January 2023)

President Yoon Suk Yeol and United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Jan. 15 held a bilateral summit at the presidential palace in Abu Dhabi. Afterwards, the Middle Eastern leader pledged investment of USD 30 billion (KRW 37.26 trillion) in Korea. 

Both presidents attended the signings of 13 bilateral memorandums of understanding in nuclear power, energy, investment, the defense industry and climate change and agreed to develop their bilateral "special strategic partnership" to the highest level. 

Korea-China summit (November 2022)

Korea-China summit (November 2022)

President Yoon on Nov. 15 held his first summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his presidential tour to Bali, Indonesia to attend the Group of 20 (G20) summit. Both leaders discussed issues of common interest such as development of bilateral relations, issues on the Korean Peninsula, and the situations of the region and world. The two sides praised the incredible growth of bilateral exchange and cooperation since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992 and agreed to further advance ties to mark the 30th anniversary of relations this year. 


Korea-Japan summit (November 2022)

Korea-Japan summit (November 2022)

President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Nov. 13 in a 45-minute summit at Phnom Penh, Cambodia, agreed that given more active dialogue between diplomats of the two countries on bilateral ties, both sides should continue cooperating to reach swift solutions. They also welcomed the rapid recovery of bilateral interpersonal exchanges and expressed hope for expansion of human exchanges between the two countries.

Korea-US-Japan summit (November 2022)

Korea-US-Japan summit (November 2022)

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Nov. 13 held a bilateral summit with U.S. President Joe Biden, one with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and trilateral talks with both in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. On a tour of Southeast Asia, President Yoon in the meetings discussed North Korea's nuclear program, economy, national security, and cooperation in regional and global affairs.

The three leaders held a 15-minute summit and adopted their first joint statement on comprehensive affairs such as economy and national security in addition to North Korea. 



Korea-US summit (November 2022)

Korea-US summit (November 2022)

President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden on Nov. 13 at their bilateral summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, discussed issues of mutual interest including boosting the extended deterrence against North Korea. On the Inflation Reduction Act of the U.S., President Biden said Korean corporations in sectors like automobiles and electric batteries greatly contribute to the U.S. economy and thus the act's implementation will be discussed given these factors.


Korea-Japan summit (September 2022)

Korea-Japan summit (September 2022)

President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Sept. 21 in New York held their first summit talks, discussing issues of common interest.

Both leaders agreed to form solidarity and cooperate with the international community to uphold the universal values they share like liberal democracy, human rights and rule of law. 

They also agreed on the need to improve bilateral ties by resolving pending issues, and to this end, they decided to continue consultations while expediting dialogue between officials of their foreign ministries.