This handout photo taken on Oct 12, 2021 and released by the presidential Blue House via Yonhap news agency shows Republic of Korean President Moon Jae-in speaking as he takes part in a virtual G20 Extraordinary Summit on Afghanistan, in Seoul.
(HO / THE BLUE HOUSE / AFP)
SEOUL – The Republic of Korean President Moon Jae-in will travel to Europe next week to attend a Group of 20 summit in Rome and the UN climate conference in Scotland, his office said on Friday.
The nine-day trip, which kicks off on Thursday, will also include talks on Oct 29 in the Vatican with Pope Francis and Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Moon's spokeswoman said.
READ MORE: UN: Glasgow talks must be turning point for climate action
Moon will then participate in the two-day gathering of G20 leaders in Rome starting Oct 30, before moving to Glasgow for the COP26 summit set to run from Oct 31 to Nov 12.
The nine-day trip, which kicks off on Thursday, will also include talks on Oct 29 in the Vatican with Pope Francis and Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Moon Jae-in 's spokeswoman said
He then plans to make a state visit to Hungary where he will take part in a summit with the so-called "Visegrad Four" countries, including Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
The ROK is one of the world's most fossil-fuel reliant economies, with coal making up over 41 percent of the country's electricity mix and renewable power just over 6 percent.
Last year, Moon pledged to go carbon neutral by 2050 and unveiled a Green New Deal to create jobs and boost economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. This month he vowed to raise its emissions-reduction goal to 40 percent of 2018 levels by 2030 from the previous 26.3 percent.
In the Vatican, both sides want to discuss ways to promote peace on the Korean peninsula and global issues, Moon's spokeswoman said.
ALSO READ: Australia's PM yet to commit to attending UN climate summit
In July, Seoul's intelligence chief said he was working on a possible visit by Pope Francis to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea after Moon relayed a verbal invitation from leader Kim Jong-un during his 2018 meeting with the pontiff.
Officials from the DPRK Embassy in London will join the COP26, the South's Yonhap news agency reported on Friday, a possible sign that Pyongyang might resume in-person diplomacy after two years of focusing inward amid the COVID-19 pandemic and border closures.