King Charles and Queen Camilla will receive South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at a glittering state visit banquet
- Yoon Suk Yeol has accepted an invitation from His Majesty to visit Britain
King Charles and Queen Camilla will host a glittering banquet to mark the highlight of a state visit by the South Korean president.
His Excellency Yoon Suk Yeol, accompanied by First Lady Kim Keon Hee, has accepted an invitation from His Majesty to visit Britain in November, Buckingham Palace announced today.
The visit comes amid ongoing tensions between South Korea and neighboring North Korea.
Leader Kim Jong Un visited Russia earlier this month to meet President Vladimir Putin.
The meeting has raised concerns that Pyongyang could receive advanced weapons technologies from Moscow in exchange for replenishing Russia’s weapons inventory, which has been depleted by the invasion of Ukraine.
King Charles and Queen Camilla (pictured) will receive the president of South Korea in November
Yoon Suk Yeol (pictured) has accepted an invitation to visit Britain
Last year, the British government began preparations to negotiate an improved post-Brexit free trade deal with South Korea – the world’s tenth largest economy.
Ministers said the new deal would ‘upgrade’ Britain’s existing trade deal with South Korea, currently worth £14.3 billion.
South Korea is already the UK’s 20th trading partner, but it is hoped this will increase.
Charles and Suk Yeol met in September last year when they attended a reception at Buckingham Palace the night before Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
The king also sent a condolence message following the deadly crowd in Itaewon last October.
The monarch has met several South Korean presidents in the past, but last visited the East Asian country in 1992.
State visits take place at the request of the British government and reflect their global strategy on issues such as trade, security and culture.
They are received by the monarch as head of state and as a means to use their power of ‘soft diplomacy’.
Further details about the state visit program will be announced shortly.