OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea: President Joe Biden arrived in South Korea on Friday (May 20), the first stop on his first trip to Asia as president, where his attempts to counter China’s influence and build economic ties are likely to be overshadowed by North Korean threats.
Biden landed at the US air base in Osan, south of Seoul. He was due to meet new President Yoon Suk-yeol, a relative newcomer to politics, for the first time in person. The two will tour a Samsung Electronics plant together on Friday ahead of a full day of events on Saturday.
Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Jay Y Lee was excused from attending an accounting fraud trial hearing on Friday, a court spokesperson said, as he is expected to host the US president’s tour.
Countering China’s presence in the region is a key Biden theme on the trip, but South Korea is likely to strike a cautious tone in public on the topic given Beijing is Seoul’s top trading partner.
South Korea is expected to be among the inaugural members of Biden’s Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), which will be announced during the trip to set standards on labour, the environment and supply chains.
Asked about Beijing’s opposition to the IPEF, Yoon told reporters on Friday that joining the framework does not have to conflict with South Korea’s economic ties with China.
“There is no need to see it as a zero-sum,” he said.
Hyundai Motor has been working on plans to build a new electric-vehicle manufacturing plant in the United States, and an announcement could coincide with Biden’s visit.
OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea: President Joe Biden arrived in South Korea on Friday (May 20), the first stop on his first trip to Asia as president, where his attempts to counter China’s influence and build economic ties are likely to be overshadowed by North Korean threats.
Biden landed at the US air base in Osan, south of Seoul. He was due to meet new President Yoon Suk-yeol, a relative newcomer to politics, for the first time in person. The two will tour a Samsung Electronics plant together on Friday ahead of a full day of events on Saturday.
Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Jay Y Lee was excused from attending an accounting fraud trial hearing on Friday, a court spokesperson said, as he is expected to host the US president’s tour.
Countering China’s presence in the region is a key Biden theme on the trip, but South Korea is likely to strike a cautious tone in public on the topic given Beijing is Seoul’s top trading partner.
South Korea is expected to be among the inaugural members of Biden’s Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), which will be announced during the trip to set standards on labour, the environment and supply chains.
Asked about Beijing’s opposition to the IPEF, Yoon told reporters on Friday that joining the framework does not have to conflict with South Korea’s economic ties with China.
“There is no need to see it as a zero-sum,” he said.
Hyundai Motor has been working on plans to build a new electric-vehicle manufacturing plant in the United States, and an announcement could coincide with Biden’s visit.