King Charles to host South Korean President at state banquet

Yoon Suk-yeol keen to seek 'very close security co-operation' with the West

Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla arrive at a state dinner in Versailles, near Paris, during a state visit to France in September. Reuters

King Charles III and Queen Camilla will stage a glittering state banquet at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday evening to welcome the President of South Korea to the UK.

Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee are in the UK for the first incoming state visit since the king’s coronation and the second of his reign.

The President and the first lady will be greeted at their hotel on Tuesday morning by the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Prince William and Princess Kate will travel with Mr Yoon and Ms Kim to the ceremonial welcome on Horse Guards Parade in central London, where the king and queen will be waiting.

A guard of honour, formed by F Company Scots Guards, will give a royal salute amid traditional pomp and pageantry and the king and Mr Yoon will inspect the troops on the parade ground.

King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Catherine and their guests will then travel in a carriage procession down The Mall to the palace, before a private lunch and a visit to see Royal Collection exhibits in the Picture Gallery.

Later, Mr Yoon will lay a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey and deliver an address in the Royal Gallery at the Palace of Westminster to members of both Houses of Parliament.

In the evening, 170 guests will gather for the banquet, customarily a white tie and tiara affair, in the opulent palace ballroom.

The king and queen are expected to be joined by Prince William, Princess Catherine and other members of the royal family, while King Charles and Mr Yoon will make speeches.

King Charles III's first year – in pictures

September marked King Charles III's first year as British monarch, here The National looks back at the past 12 months. All photos: Getty Images

King Charles delivers his address to the nation from Buckingham Palace following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday, September 8, 2022

King Charles and Queen Camilla walk across the forecourt of Buckingham Palace, London, as he enters the palace for the first time as the new King in September 2022

King Charles during his first audience with Prime Minister Liz Truss at Buckingham Palace in September 2022

King Charles speaks during his proclamation as king during the accession council in London in September 2022

King Charles and Queen Camilla take part in an address in Westminster Hall in September 2022

King Charles, Prince Edward, Princess Anne, and Prince Andrew hold a vigil at St Giles' Cathedral, in honour of Queen Elizabeth in Edinburgh in September 2022

King Charles follows behind the coffin of Queen Elizabeth as it is carried out of Westminster Abbey after her state funeral in September 2022

King Charles drives past Wellington Arch during the funeral

King Charles shakes hands with a boy as he visits Aberdeen Town House to meet families who have settled in Aberdeen from Afghanistan, Syria and Ukraine in October 2022

King Charles welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government in October 2022

King Charles reacts after an egg was thrown in his direction in York during a ceremony at Micklegate Bar where, traditionally, The Sovereign is welcomed to the city, in November 2022

King Charles speaks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Stella McCartney and US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry during a reception at Buckingham Palace ahead of the Cop27 Summit in November 2022

King Charles plants a lime tree in the Buckingham Palace garden for the Queen's Green Canopy ahead of the Cop 27 Summit in November 2022

King Charles unveils a statue of Queen Elizabeth outside York Minster in November 2022

King Charles attends the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph on Whitehall, London, in November 2022

Queen Camilla, King Charles and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Grand Entrance of Buckingham Palace during a state visit in November 2022. This is the first state visit hosted by the UK with King Charles as monarch

King Charles and Queen Camilla talk to co-owners of Wrexham AFC Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney during a visit to Wales in December 2022

King Charles during the recording of his first Christmas broadcast at Windsor Castle in December 2022

King Charles dances at a pre-Chanukah reception hosted on site for Holocaust survivors at the JW3 Community Centre in December 2022 in London

King Charles and Queen Camilla meet members of the public during a visit to the Bangladeshi community of Brick Lane in London in February

King Charles holds an audience with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Buckingham Palace in February

King Charles meets members of the Turkish diaspora community in February in Hounslow, West London

King Charles speaks at the German Bundestag in March in Berlin, Germany

First Lady Elke Buedenbender, Queen Camilla, King Charles and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrive for a Ceremonial welcome at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin in March

King Charles greets people at York Minster for the Maunday Thursday Service in April

King Charles inspects the 200th Sovereign's parade at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in April

King Charles and Queen Camilla switch on stage lighting as they visit the host venue of the Eurovision Song Contest, the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool in April

King Charles looks up as he receives the St Edward's Crown during his coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey in May

King Charles stands after being crowned in Westminster Abbey in May

King Charles and Queen Camilla travelling in the Gold State Coach down The Mall on route to Buckingham Palace during the coronation in May

King Charles arrives to receive a royal salute from members of the military in the gardens of Buckingham Palace following his coronation

King Charles travels by train pulled by the Flying Scotsman in celebration of its 100th anniversary, in June

Prince George, Prince Louis, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, Prince William, King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince Edward, and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch a fly-past of aircraft by the Royal Air Force during Trooping the Colour in June

King Charles attends Royal Ascot in June

King Charles and Queen Camilla pose with masquerade masks as they attend the Animal Ball at Lancaster House in London to mark the 20th anniversary of wildlife conservation charity Elephant Family in June

Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William look on as King Charles is presented with the Crown of Scotland during the National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication for King Charles and Queen Camilla at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland in July

King Charles and US President Joe Biden at Windsor Castle in July

Foreign secretaries are also usually invited, meaning the newly appointed Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton is likely to make a return to dining at the royal residence, harking back to the days when he was prime minister.

Mr Yoon, 62, is a known fan of karaoke and in April belted out a verse of one of his favourite songs, American Pie, at a White House dinner at the request of President Joe Biden during a state visit to the US.

He got a standing ovation.

Critics of Mr Yoon, a former prosecutor general, have accused him of suppressing freedom of speech during his 18-month presidency and cracking down on fault-finding news reports about him in the name of fighting “fake news”.

Ms Kim, a 51-year-old former head of an art event-planning company, has also attracted controversy.

She made a televised public apology in 2021 after admitting to exaggerating her professional credentials when applying for jobs at universities more than a decade ago.

Mr Yoon and Mrs Kim made a low-key arrival at Stansted Airport on Monday.

Before his trip, Mr Yoon said the world is facing a “polycrisis” of several conflicts and threats to humanity.

He told The Daily Telegraph that the wars in Ukraine and Israel, and rising tension with Russia, North Korea and in the South China Sea, have compelled him to seek “very close security co-operation” with the West.

He secured a landmark deal with the US earlier this year to counter the North Korean nuclear threat.

Mr Yoon previously warned fellow world leaders about possible co-operation between North Korea and Russia after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The king and the South Korean President met last year at the reception for heads of state and official overseas guests at the palace on the eve of the late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.

Mr Yoon’s opponents accused him of being disrespectful during his trip to London after he missed the chance to view the late queen’s coffin lying in state – which he blamed on heavy traffic.

He was also caught on microphone swearing after a chat with Mr Biden at the UN General Assembly the following week, with the footage going viral in his home country.

The king visited South Korea in November 1992.

As the Prince of Wales, he carried out the tour with his then-wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, but the pair were branded “The Glums” for looking ill at ease together and a month later it was announced they were separating.

On Wednesday, Mr Yoon will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Downing Street and also meet Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

The state visit follows the first incoming one of the king’s reign by South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa last autumn.

UK and South Korea to sign new partnership during presidential state visit

The UK and South Korea are set to sign a new long-term agreement covering defence and technology co-operation as President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives for a three-day state visit.

The Downing Street Accord follows similar agreements with Singapore and Japan, coming as the UK seeks to consolidate influence in the Indo-Pacific.

Mr Yoon begins his state visit on Tuesday, which will include a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the formal signing of the agreement in Downing Street on Wednesday.

Ahead of the visit, Mr Sunak pointed to the £21 billion ($26bn) which South Korean businesses commit in investment to the UK.

Trade and investment are expected to be the focus of the trip, with Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch set to launch new negotiations on an upgraded free trade agreement.

The UK secured a free trade deal with South Korea in 2019, with the agreement largely aimed at keeping trade flowing post-Brexit and removing uncertainty.

“Long term, global partnerships are vital to our prosperity and security, both today and in the future. As two nations focused on innovation, harnessing new technologies and defending the international rules-based order, the UK and Republic of Korea are natural partners," Mr Sunak said.

“Through our new Downing Street Accord, we will drive investment, boost trade and build a friendship that not only supports global stability, but protects our interests and lasts the test of time.

“These close ties have already propelled £21 billion of investment between our countries.

“I know a free trade agreement fit for the future will only drive further investment, delivering on my promise to grow the economy and support highly-skilled jobs.”

The Downing Street Accord will see British and Korean militaries agree to step up joint training and operations, with the Asian state expected to agree to join with British ships on sanctions patrols.

It will, Downing Street said, also see the two countries work closer together on technology such as artificial intelligence, semi-conductors and quantum.

Science ministers will also sign a memorandum of understanding to boost space co-operation.

South Korea will host next year’s AI summit after the first UK-backed gathering in Bletchley Park earlier this month.

The trip to the UK coincides with the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the UK and Korea, as well as the 70th anniversary of the armistice of the Korean war.