President Moon Jae-in will make state visits to Finland, Norway and Sweden June 9-16. His eight-day, three-nation trip to Northern Europe has been arranged as part of his efforts to realize innovative growth, peace and an inclusive nation, the Administration’s three priorities.
As a starter, President Moon will visit Finland June 9-11 and hold a summit with President Sauli Niinistö. The two Presidents are expected to discuss ways to enhance bilateral relations as well as invigorate exchanges between startups in Korea and Finland, a leading country in innovative growth, and bolster substantive cooperation to create a sustainable growth economy.
Afterward, President Moon will make a state visit to Norway June 11-13, the first by a Korean president. During his stay there, the President will attend an official welcoming ceremony as well as state luncheon and dinner hosted by HM King Harald Vof Norway. In addition, President Moon is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Erna Solberg and discuss ways to promote Korea-Norway relations that are marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties as well as cooperation for denuclearization and a peace settlement on the Korean Peninsula. Their discussion will also focus on measures to realize an eco-friendly hydrogen economy and boost partnerships in the fields of Artic development and shipbuilding.
Lastly, from June 13-15, President Moon will make the first state visit by a Korean president to Sweden and attend an official welcoming ceremony, luncheon and dinner to be hosted by HM King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. The President will then sit down together with Prime Minister Stefan Löfven to discuss how to cooperate in the fields of innovative industries and science and technology as well as how to promote bilateral ties, which are also marking 60 years of diplomatic relations. In addition, the two leaders will speak about Sweden’s experience as the cradle of cooperative labor-management relations and Korea's vision to build an inclusive country.
Finland, Norway and Sweden are essential cooperative partners for the Korean Government regarding its top priorities: innovation and inclusive growth. President Moon is expected to build friendly relations based on trust with the heads of state and government of the host countries and to establish a foundation for mutually beneficial cooperation concerning the Arctic, the environment and responses to 5G and other Fourth Industrial Revolution sectors. In addition, the upcoming visits are expected to serve as an opportunity for Korea and the three Scandinavian countries – which have made extraordinary contributions to international peace and stability – to reaffirm their common understanding on ways to establish permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula through its denuclearization.