SEOUL– Prime Minister Han Duck-soo left Thursday for Bangkok to attend a two-day Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
Han will “emphasize APEC’s leading role in responding to climate change, restoring the multilateral trading system, strengthening supply chains and connectivity, and introducing Korea’s efforts for participation” during the gathering scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Han’s office said.
The prime minister told reporters earlier this week that leaders of the Asia Pacific region are expected to chart a path toward establishing a free trade organization in the upcoming meeting.
“So far, there have been discussions on creating a free trade organization involving all 21 APEC member states, but there has been no progress due to COVID-19,” he said.
On the sidelines of the APEC gathering, Han is expected to hold bilateral summits with his counterparts, including New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Peru Vice President Dina Boluarte, and seek international support for South Korea’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo in the southeastern port city of Busan.
The prime minister is scheduled to arrive back in Seoul on Sunday.
This is the first APEC summit in four years to be held in person. An APEC summit that was scheduled to be held in Chile in 2019 was called off and was held virtually in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.
Source: Yonhap News Agency