Anchor: President Yoon Suk Yeol returned early Monday from a weeklong trip to Indonesia and India for participation in a number of regional and global conferences. During forum sessions and bilateral meetings with state leaders, Yoon sought to further enhance South Korea's pivotal role in the Indo-Pacific and within the international community.
Choi You Sun reports.

Report: President Yoon Suk Yeol attended multiple regional forums and engaged in a series of bilateral meetings during his weeklong visit to Indonesia and India, where he sought to strengthen relations with countries in the Indo-Pacific and addressed global challenges.

With the ten-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) gaining a strategic importance amid escalating Sino-U.S. rivalry in the Indo-Pacific, Yoon, speaking in Jakarta, pledged the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative outlining enhancement of strategic cooperation.

The South Korean leader also had an opportunity to issue a warning against military cooperation with North Korea amid growing speculation that regime leader Kim Jong-un may travel to Russia for talks on an arms deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

While attending the Group of 20(G20) summit in New Delhi, Yoon pledged to contribute an additional 300 million U.S. dollars to the Green Climate Fund to help fight climate crisis, as well as an additional two-point-three billion dollars to aid war-ravaged Ukraine.

The president held two-way talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, where he called to ensure that the North's nuclear issue does not become an obstacle in South Korea-China relations. Yoon also sought Beijing's cooperation for a trilateral summit with Japan to take place within the year.

Yoon met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for their sixth meeting since improving bilateral ties in March, where the leaders agreed to work toward realizing a three-way gathering with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

During Yoon's talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi marking the 50th anniversary of the two sides' diplomatic relations, the leaders agreed to bolster cooperation in defense and space, while enhancing strategic ties in the Indo-Pacific.

Yoon's summit with Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. included a signing ceremony for a bilateral free trade agreement, which is expected to increase South Korean auto exports to the Southeast Asian country.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.