South Korean president vows to work with UK to bolster security in Indo-Pacific
The president of South Korea has said his country will work with the UK to "bolster the political and economic security" in the Indo-Pacific during an address to Parliament.
The UK is embarking on a foreign policy "tilt" towards the Indo-Pacific in recognition of the growing influence of China.
As part of his state visit to the UK, President Yoon Suk Yeol made a speech to peers and MPs on Tuesday in which he spoke of Britain and Korea's historic and current ties.
And Mr Yoon said Seoul would "contribute to a better future for humanity" as he laid out plans to collaborate on security, technology and energy in the region.
Right-wing leader Mr Yoon said the Downing Street Accord, set to be signed during a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, will lead to relations between the two nations being "reborn".
Mr Sunak is due to sign the new long-term agreement covering defence and technology co-operation in Downing Street on Wednesday.
The pact follows similar agreements with Singapore and Japan, coming as the UK seeks to consolidate influence in the Indo-Pacific.
It will include a defence agreement that will boost the British and Korean militaries' co-operation on countering smuggling in the East China Sea which North Korea relies on to evade sanctions.
Mr Yoon, who has taken a firm approach to dealing with Pyongyang, said London and Seoul "together" would tackle North Korea's "WMD (weapons of mass destruction) threats".
The president, accompanied by his wife Kim Keon Hee, began his three-day state visit on Tuesday with a welcome from the King and Queen.
The visit coincides with the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the UK and Korea, as well as the 70th anniversary of the armistice of the Korean War.
During his address in the Royal Gallery in the Palace of Westminster, Mr Yoon paid tribute to the 81,000 British troops who were sent to Korea to fight against invading North Korean communist forces during the 1950s conflict.
"More than 1,000 British men and women sacrificed their lives to defend the freedom of a faraway country they never knew," he said.
He singled out Korean veteran Colin Thackery — a Chelsea Pensioner and former Britain's Got Talent reality TV show winner — who was in the audience, thanking him “with deep gratitude and respect” for the part he played.
The president said the UK, as the second largest financial contributor to Korea’s post-war rebuild, had helped Seoul to "write a story of miraculous success".
He added Britain helped South Korea move from being a developing country to an "economic powerhouse" whose culture is "winning the hearts of global citizens".
South Korea will host next year's AI summit after the first UK-backed gathering in Bletchley Park, the home of famous codebreakers who worked helping to decipher enemy communications during the Second World War, earlier this month.
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