It was his first overseas trip since the start of the pandemic.
Via social media, Moon called his U.S. trip and his talks with Biden the “best” and noted that it was the first no-mask summit since the pandemic. He said that the outcome was better than expected and that Washington took into account Seoul’s stance on pending issues.
Moon said he got “special gifts” referring to Biden’s announcement that the U.S. will provide full vaccinations for all 550-thousand South Korean military personnel.
He said this was the result of a special emphasis on the importance of the Seoul-Washington alliance noting that there was internal backlash in the Biden administration as all Americans have yet to be inoculated and that there are other countries in more dire need of vaccine support.
Another present the appointment of Korean-American diplomat Sung Kim as Washington’s special envoy to Pyeongyang.
Kim has led working-level talks with North Korea and helped organize the historic North Korea-U.S. summit in 2018.
Moon said that this is Washington’s message to Pyeongyang that it is ready for dialogue as Kim can talk without an interpreter.
Presidents Moon and Biden had their first bilateral at the White House on Friday that lasted for about three hours.
They reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula based on dialogue and diplomacy.
The leaders also agreed to foster a comprehensive vaccine partnership, which includes scientific and technological cooperation to boost global supplies and contribute to ending the pandemic.
Moon’s business entourage which included officials from Samsung, LG and SK also unveiled a 39 billion dollar investment plan in the U.S.
During his stay, he also met with Vice President Kamala Harris and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.
President Moon also attended a White House ceremony where Biden awarded the first Medal of Honor of his presidency to Korean War Veteran Ralph Puckett.
It’s the first time that a foreign leader has been present for that highlighting the strength of the alliance.
Kim Min-ji, Arirang News.
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