PM Wong to attend Apec meeting, launch strategic partnership in South Korea
(Photo credit: ST Photo/Lim Yaohui)
Source: The Straits Times
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will be in South Korea from Oct 29 to Nov 1 for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) leaders’ meeting in Gyeongju.
PM Wong, who is also Finance Minister, will then travel to the capital Seoul for an official visit at the invitation of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, said the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in a statement on Oct 29.
There, PM Wong and President Lee will upgrade relations between the two countries to a strategic partnership, it added.
PM Wong will also have bilateral meetings with other leaders on the sidelines of the annual Apec summit, which brings together the heads of government from 21 economies on the Pacific Rim to promote free trade.
On the agenda for this year’s summit are ways to promote trade and investment, harness the benefits of new technology such as artificial intelligence for trade, and discussion on how to respond to demographic changes in the Asia-Pacific region.
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet on Oct 30 in Gyeongju ahead of the summit’s main sessions – their first since Mr Trump took office for his second term and amid heightened trade tensions.
PM Wong will participate in the Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting sessions and the Apec Business Advisory Council dialogue with Apec economic leaders, PMO said.
On the first leg of the trip, he will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs Sim Ann, and officials from the PMO, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Trade and Industry, it added.
When in Seoul on Nov 1 and 2, he and President Lee will have a delegation meeting at the President’s Yongsan office, followed by a ceremony exchanging memorandums of understanding and remarks to the press launching the upgraded relationship. Mr Lee will also host an official luncheon for PM Wong.
The move to deepen cooperation was first announced during a state visit to Singapore by former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol in October 2024.
PM Wong will also lay a wreath at the Seoul National Cemetery and meet overseas Singaporeans at a reception in Seoul.
This is PM Wong’s first visit to South Korea since he was sworn in as head of government in May 2024, and the first by a Singapore prime minister since 2019. It also coincides with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations.
In Seoul, he will be accompanied by Mrs Wong, Ms Sim, Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information and Health Tan Kiat How and Senior Minister of State for Transport and Law Murali Pillai, and officials.
In PM Wong’s absence, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong will be Acting Prime Minister.