By Foreign & Commonwealth Office, OGL 3, Wiki Commons
The Duchess of Edinburgh took the reins of day two of the South Korean State Visit by hosting the President of South Korea at the Royal Society in London. It was another high-profile engagement for President Toon Suk Yeol and his wife, First Lady Kim Keon, as they continued their visit and meeting members of the Royal Family.
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The Duchess joined the President as they visited the Independent Scientific Academy in St James’s London. During their visit, they met with the Royal Society’s President, Sir Adrian Smith, and viewed items from the society’s archives. Sir Isaac Newton, the English physicist who discovered the laws of gravity, was at the centre of the artefacts shown. His death mask, reflecting telescope, a lock of hair, and a piece of wood from an apple tree at his Lincolnshire home were shown. Newton had served as President of the Royal Society from 1703 until his death in 1727. Before they left, the two joined in a round table discussion on how to strengthen the global role of science to advance humanity. The discussion included notable scientific experts from South Korea and the UK.
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On day one of the State Visit, the Duchess joined other members of the Royal Family for a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace. Many couldn’t help but notice that she re-wore her Suzannah couture embroidered gown that she wore at the Coronation of her brother-in-law, King Charles, earlier this year. At the State Banquet, His Majesty gave a speech to more than 300 banquet attendees that was filled with Korean and K-pop culture references.
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The State Visit marks the 140th anniversary of Korea’s diplomatic relationship with the UK. The King describes it as a partnership that has fostered over many decades and created close personal connections. The King, who is known for his contributions to bettering the environment praised Korea’s commitment to the issue.
“The Republic of Korea, as one of very few countries which ended the twentieth century with more trees than at the century’s beginning, has always grasped this.”
To coincide with the visit, officials from both countries are in talks to upgrade the free trade agreement to replace their current deal. As of now, it is incredibly similar to the arrangements the UK had before it left the European Union. An agreement was also made to have joint naval patrols to stop smuggling and enforce UN sanctions on North Korea in an effort to stop nuclear weapon ambitions.