LONDON (AP) – King Charles III will be welcoming the president of South Korea for a state visit to the UK in November, the second such visit of the monarch’s reign.
The king and Queen Camilla will host Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, at Buckingham Palace on an as yet unspecified date in November, palace officials said Tuesday.
Yoon, a conservative former prosecutor, has sought to strengthen South Korea’s military alliance with the United States, drawing an angry response from North Korea.
But Yoon, 62, has also showed the lighter side of his character. During a state dinner at the White House in April, he belted out the opening verse of one of his favourite songs, the 1970s folk-rock classic “American Pie,” at the request of President Joe Biden.
A state banquet at Buckingham Palace is unlikely to feature a moment of impromptu song. Such events are traditionally more composed affairs featuring tiaras, toasts and dinner for around 150 guests, with a string orchestra usually providing the musical backdrop.
State visits normally begin with a welcome from the king and other members of the royal family, with the visitors inspecting the guard of honour then riding to the palace in a procession of carriages accompanied by mounted soldiers.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was honoured with the first incoming state visit of Charles’ reign when he visited the UK last November.
