Yoon, Biden to discuss N. Korea's provocations, economic security, int'l contribution

SEOUL, May 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, will discuss North Korean provocations, economic security and contributions to pending international issues when they meet next weekend for their first summit, a senior official said Sunday.

Biden is set to arrive in Seoul on Friday for the summit with the new South Korean president the following day before visiting Japan on Sunday on his first Asia trip since his inauguration last year.

The two leaders will discuss how to deal with North Korea's provocations. They will also discuss bilateral cooperation in supply chain issues, emerging technologies and other topics related to economic security, the senior presidential official said.

Also on the agenda is South Korea's contributions to pressing international issues and how to coordinate them.

Yoon's top priority in the summit is to build trust with Biden and further strengthen the South Korea-U.S. alliance and combined defense posture, according to the official.

The U.S. currently maintains some 28,500 troops in South Korea to deter North Korean aggression, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.

The summit and a joint press conference will both be held at the new presidential office in Yongsan in central Seoul.

On speculations that Yoon may make a reciprocal visit to the U.S. next month, the official said there were apparently no plans for the president to visit the U.S. in June.

odissy@yna.co.kr
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