Catherine West, the Minister for the Indo-Pacific at the United Kingdom's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will co-chair the 'Korea-UK High-Level Economic Dialogue' with Kim Jin-ah, the Second Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Seoul on the 18th.
Minister West's visit to Korea marks the first visit by a senior official from the United Kingdom's Ministry of Foreign Affairs since President Lee Jae-myung took office, aiming to advance cooperation in key growth areas such as ▲artificial intelligence (AI) ▲clean energy ▲biotechnology.
Earlier, on June 6th, President Lee met with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the G7 Summit and agreed to improve the Korea-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by the end of this year. According to the British Embassy in Korea, the two countries currently maintain a trade relationship valued at approximately £15.4 billion (about 27 trillion won).
Minister West noted, "The two countries are natural partners in building a safe and prosperous future together," adding, "We will open new opportunities for corporations in Seoul while enhancing our joint security."