Having attended the queen's state funeral earlier on Monday President Yoon Suk Yeol is in New York as we speak poised to partake in the high-level General Debate that begins on this Tuesday and to pursue a number of bilateral summits on the sidelines.

Flying from London, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol touched down in New York on Monday, local time, where world leaders are gathering for the 77th session of the UN General Assembly.

The general debate part of the session runs from September 20th to 26th, during which the South Korean leader will address the chamber on Tuesday, the 20th.

Yoon's first UN speech will focus on expanding South Korea's role on the global stage, discussing the importance of global solidarity in deterring war and nuclear threats, as well as recapping his "audacious initiative" for the denuclearization of North Korea.

"The pandemic, climate change, food shortages, energy security and war all these issues are intertwined. This time, the UN seeks to find groundbreaking solutions. President Yoon's message will focus on urging solidarity, centered on the UN, among nations that share the value of freedom."

A series of bilateral meetings await President Yoon, including one-on-ones with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida as well as UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Key issues will be the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, mending Seoul-Tokyo ties, and the North Korea nuclear issue.

The Yoon-Kishida meeting will mark the first summit between the two countries in two years and nine months, closely watched by many as the neighbors have been locked in a row over disputes stemming from Japan's 1910 to 1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

President Yoon will also meet with business people, scientists and Korean residents in New York.

His third and final leg of tour will take him to Canada, where the Korean leader will sit down with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Arirang News