Lee set to depart for ASEAN, APEC summits in Manila, Shenzhen

Detailed summary

SEOUL, Nov. 16 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung was set to depart Monday on a...

SEOUL, Nov. 16 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung was set to depart Monday on a four-day trip to attend an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in the Philippines and an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China.

During the ASEAN summit beginning Monday in Manila, the South Korean president will participate in a South Korea-ASEAN summit to discuss cooperation with the region, followed by a summit with leaders of the five Mekong countries -- Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

The following day, he will attend an ASEAN Plus Three summit, bringing together leaders from ASEAN member countries, South Korea, China and Japan, as well as an East Asia Summit involving 16 countries in East Asia.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the South Korean president will attend the APEC summit in Shenzhen, which will include a CEO summit, a dinner banquet hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping and the main summit under this year's theme, "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together."

On the sidelines of the two summits, Lee is also expected to hold bilateral talks with participating leaders, including Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., both later Monday.

At the regional events, Lee plans to strengthen mutual trust and cooperation with other heads of state through bilateral and multilateral meetings while highlighting South Korea's contributions to resolving regional challenges, including energy supply chains, transnational crimes and food security, his National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac has said.

The president also plans to call on ASEAN and APEC member countries to support Seoul's peaceful coexistence policy toward North Korea and convey a "positive message" in favor of peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, the official noted.

Opening of the article, excerpted from Yonhap. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.