President Yoon embarks on seven-day state visit to U.S.

[Yonhap Photo]

SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Geon-hee will embark on a seven-day state visit to the United States on April 24. President Yoon and U.S. President Joe Biden will hold a summit to evaluate the achievements of the 70-year-old South Korea-U.S. alliance and discuss the future direction of economic and security cooperation.
 
The state visit will take place after a classified document was leaked online suggesting that the U.S. has been spying on allies including South Korea. Yoon's state visit to the U.S. was decided before the Pentagon documents were released through an online gaming community platform earlier this month.
 
According to the presidential office, President Yoon will depart on April 24 and arrive in Washington on the same day (local time). The time difference between Seoul and Washington is 13 hours, and the flight duration is also similar.
 
Yoon will engage in a schedule of activities in Washington, D.C., including a summit meeting with Biden, a welcoming dinner, social events, and a joint statement to the U.S. Congress. Economic events such as an investment declaration ceremony, South Korea-U.S. business roundtable meeting, visit to the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and various forums.
 
After visiting Washington Yoon will travel to Boston to engage in discussions with experts in the fields of digital and biotechnology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and participate in a South Korea-U.S. cluster roundtable meeting. The president will also deliver a speech at Harvard University, as the first sitting Korean president.
 
Leaders from a total of 122 companies will also accompany the president to the U.S. This includes 19 large corporations, 21 mid-sized companies, 64 small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as 14 economic organizations and associations, and 4 state-owned enterprises.
 
The heads of the four major conglomerates, including Samsung Electronics' Jay Y. Lee, SK Group's Chey Tae-won, Hyundai auto group's Jung Eui-sun, and LG Group's Koo Kwang-mo, will be joined by representatives from six economic organizations, including the Federation of Korean Industries, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Korea Enterprises Federation, and the Korea International Trade Association. This marks the first time since 2003 that all six major economic organizations are participating together in a business delegation.