Anchor: President Yoon Suk Yeol addressed the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit for the first time on Thursday, where he proposed a Carbon-Free Alliance and an APEC initiative on smart mobility in the fight against climate change. On the sidelines of the forum, Yoon also held summit talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, where they agreed to enhance bilateral and trilateral security cooperation with the U.S.
Choi You-sun reports.

Report: President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged a leading role by South Korea in the expansion of global carbon-free energy as he urged member states of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC) to collaborate on the effort.

In his first address to the APEC Summit in San Francisco on Thursday, Yoon said the climate crisis is the most pressing current challenge to overcome in order to establish a sustainable future for humanity.

Reiterating his earlier proposal to form a Carbon-Free Alliance(CFA) at the UN General Assembly in September, the president said Seoul is seeking to push for a transition to a clean energy system along with APEC member nations.

The South Korean government launched the Alliance last month in the form of a government-civilian consultative body aimed at expanding the usage of renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, as well as zero-carbon energy like hydrogen power.

Yoon also suggested a transition to eco-friendly means of transportation and the establishment of a special APEC initiative on the expansion of smart mobility.

On the margins of the conference, Yoon held summit talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, their seventh one-on-one meeting to date, during which the South Korean leader assessed that their consultative dialogue has been restored to 100 percent as agreed to in March.

Checking up on bilateral cooperation, the leaders agreed to strengthen three-way cooperation with the U.S. on security, especially regarding North Korea, and in cutting-edge technologies.

Yoon, Kishida, and U.S. President Joe Biden, who met at the U.S. presidential retreat of Camp David in August for summit talks, had a brief exchange and gathered for a photo op later in the day.

The South Korean leader also had an amicable exchange with Chinese President Xi Jinping, expressing hope for Xi to achieve desired results during the gathering, to which the Chinese leader said he anticipates cooperation between Seoul and Beijing.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.