Yoon, Biden meet briefly in New York

By Lee Haye-ah

NEW YORK, Sept. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden met briefly in New York on Wednesday during a fundraising event for fighting infectious diseases.

Yoon was not initially on the list of attendees for the Global Fund's Seventh Replenishment Conference hosted by Biden but was later invited, according to the presidential office.

During the event, Yoon gave remarks and could later be seen talking with Biden for under a minute, though their conversation could not be heard.

The presidential office had initially said Yoon and Biden would hold a summit on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

On Wednesday, however, a presidential official told reporters Biden's diplomatic schedule in New York had been reduced due to his unplanned attendance at Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral in London on Monday and U.S. domestic political events.

The official had also said Yoon and Biden were still expected to meet "in whatever format."

The two held their first summit in Seoul in May shortly after Yoon took office, and a second meeting was expected to serve as an opportunity for Yoon to deliver South Korea's concerns about the recently passed U.S. Inflation Reduction Act.

The law excludes electric vehicles assembled outside North America from tax incentives, raising concerns it will act as a significant trade barrier for Korean-made cars.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and President of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen were also present at the fundraising event.

hague@yna.co.kr
(END)