(LEAD) S. Korea set to host third Summit for Democracy in future: U.S. official

(ATTN: UPDATES with reports of a joint statement by Biden and Yoon in last 5 paras; ADDS photo)
By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, March 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has agreed to host what will be the third Summit for Democracy, a senior administration official from the United States said, as the second summit was set to kick-start here later Wednesday with some 120 global leaders taking part.

A formal announcement of South Korea hosting the third summit will be made later in the day, according to the official.

"We are really pleased to share that the Republic of Korea has agreed to host a future third summit," the U.S. official said during a telephone press briefing held Tuesday, referring to South Korea by its official name.

The Summit for Democracy was first held in December 2021, hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden.

The second summit, set to be held Wednesday and Thursday, is co-hosted by Biden and his counterparts from South Korea, Costa Rica, the Netherlands and Zambia.

The five leaders are each scheduled to host one of five plenary sessions throughout the two-day event, with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol set to lead the first plenary meeting on "economic growth and shared prosperity."

"Beginning with the first summit in 2021, at this point we brought together hundreds of leaders from governments, civil society, the private sector committed to strengthening democratic governance, protecting human rights and advancing the fight against corruption," the U.S. administration official said.

"The feedback we have gotten on all of this is that the work is ongoing and that it can and should continue after the conclusion of this summit," the official added. "So we just want to say how thankful we are to our Korean partners for taking on that responsibility."

Biden hailed South Korea's hosting of the third Summit for Democracy in a joint statement with his South Korean counterpart.

"The Republic of Korea's democratic institutions are a beacon of strength in the Indo-Pacific and demonstrate to the world that democracy fosters the conditions needed to cultivate continued security and prosperity," said the joint statement released by the White House.

"In recent years, the Republic of Korea has emerged as a global leader, in no small part because of the enduring commitment of the Korean people to increasing governmental transparency, ensuring effective checks and balances, and developing laws that are responsive to public needs," it added.

The two leaders formally announced that South Korea will be hosting the future third Summit for Democracy.

"We are proud to continue our work together to ensure that the momentum built by the first two Summits for Democracy will continue into the future and reflect this effort's global leadership," they said.

bdk@yna.co.kr
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