Trudeau set to make 1st official visit to South Korea on Asia trip
Global News
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to leave Monday for a weeklong trip to Asia, where he will make his first official visit to South Korea.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to leave Monday for a weeklong trip to Asia, where he will make his first official visit to South Korea and attend the G7 leaders’ summit in Japan.
The trip comes at a time when the world is collectively facing security threats and economic uncertainty magnified by climate change.
The prime minister is expected to be in Seoul between May 16 and May 18, after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s visit to Ottawa last fall. Since then, both countries have released their Indo-Pacific strategies, plans that aim to counterbalance Chinese influence by increasing economic and military ties in the region.
Trudeau is also scheduled to attend the G7 leaders’ summit in Hiroshima, Japan, between May 19 and 21.
As G7 host, Japan says it chose to have the summit in Hiroshima to symbolize its “commitment to peace” during a time of growing risk of weapons of mass destruction and an ongoing war in Ukraine.
The United States dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroying the city and killing 140,000 people. It dropped a second bomb three days later on Nagasaki, killing 70,000 more.
While in Seoul, Trudeau is expected to attend a ceremony to open the Kapyong Battle Commemorative Trail, meant to honour Canada’s contributions during the Korean War.
He is not expected to visit the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea.