Charles, Camilla, William and Kate greet South Korea’s President

The King and Queen will formally welcome the president of South Korea to the UK in the present day and stage a glittering state banquet in his honour at Buckingham Palace.

Charles and Camilla are internet hosting Yoon Suk Yeol and his spouse Kim Keon Hee for the primary incoming state go to for the reason that King’s coronation and the second of his reign.

Prince William and Kate Middleton will play a key function by greeting the President and the First Lady at their resort in London this morning.

The Prince and Princess of Wales will journey with Mr Yoon and Mrs Kim to a Horse Guards Parade ceremonial welcome, the place the King and Queen will likely be ready.

A guard of honour, fashioned by F Company Scots Guards, will give a royal salute amid conventional pomp and pageantry and the King and Mr Yoon will examine the troops.

Charles, Camilla, William and Kate and their visitors will then journey in a carriage procession down The Mall to the Palace, earlier than a personal lunch and a go to to see Royal Collection displays within the Picture Gallery.

Later, Mr Yoon will lay a wreath on the Grave of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey and ship an deal with within the Royal Gallery on the Palace of Westminster to members of each Houses of Parliament.

In the night, 170 visitors will collect for the banquet, usually a white tie and tiara affair, within the opulent Palace ballroom.

The King and Queen are anticipated to be joined by William, Kate and different members of the royal household, whereas Charles and Mr Yoon will make speeches.

Foreign secretaries are additionally often invited, which means the newly appointed Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton is prone to make a return to eating on the royal residence, reminiscent of the times when he was prime minister.

Mr Yoon, 62, is a recognized fan of karaoke and in April belted out a verse of considered one of his favorite songs, American Pie, at a White House dinner on the request of President Joe Biden throughout a state go to to the US. He received a standing ovation.

Critics of Mr Yoon, a former prosecutor normal, have accused him of suppressing freedom of speech throughout his 18-month presidency and cracking down on fault-finding information reviews about him within the title of combating ‘faux information’.

Mrs Kim, a 51-year-old former head of an artwork event-planning firm, has additionally attracted controversy.

She made a televised public apology in 2021 after admitting exaggerating her skilled credentials when making use of for jobs at universities over a decade in the past.

Mr Yoon and Mrs Kim made a low-key arrival at Stansted Airport yesterday.

Before his journey, Mr Yoon stated the world is dealing with a ‘polycrisis’ of a number of conflicts and threats to humanity.

He informed The Daily Telegraph that the wars in Ukraine and Israel, and rising rigidity with Russia, North Korea and within the South China Sea, have compelled him to hunt ‘very shut safety co-operation’ with the West.

He secured a landmark take care of the US earlier this 12 months to counter the North Korean nuclear risk.

Mr Yoon beforehand warned fellow world leaders about doable co-operation between North Korea and Russia after North Korean chief Kim Jong Un‘s face-to-face assembly with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The King and the South Korean President met final 12 months on the reception for heads of state and official abroad visitors on the Palace on the eve of the late Queen’s funeral.

Mr Yoon’s opponents accused him of being disrespectful throughout his journey to London after he missed the possibility to view the late Queen’s coffin mendacity in state – which he blamed on heavy visitors.

He was additionally caught on microphone swearing after a chat with Mr Biden on the UN normal meeting the next week, with the footage going viral in his residence nation.

Tomorrow, Mr Yoon will maintain bilateral talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Downing Street and in addition meet Labour chief Sir Keir Starmer.

The state go to follows the primary incoming one of many King’s reign by South Africa‘s President Cyril Ramaphosa final autumn.

Meanwhile, as a part of Mr Yoon’s go to, the UK and South Korea are to launch talks on a brand new commerce deal and signal a diplomatic accord.

Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch will start negotiations together with her Korean counterpart Bang Moon Kyu on the UK-Korea Business Forum at Mansion House tomorrow.

They may also announce £21billion of investments dedicated by Korean companies in inexperienced power and infrastructure tasks throughout the UK.

The UK secured a free commerce take care of South Korea in 2019, with the settlement largely aimed toward conserving commerce flowing post-Brexit and eradicating uncertainty.

The UK hopes to safe trendy digital provisions in a brand new deal as a result of most of its companies exports to Korea are delivered digitally.

Ms Badenoch stated: ‘The Government is upgrading our commerce take care of South Korea to make sure that our buying and selling relationship performs to the UK’s strengths as a complicated, high-tech financial system.

‘This refreshed, modernised deal will enhance our world-leading companies sector whereas additionally creating new alternatives for UK exports comparable to in our world-leading meals and luxurious items sectors.’

Mr Yoon will maintain a gathering with Mr Sunak and signal the brand new long-term settlement masking defence and know-how co-operation in Downing Street tomorrow.

The Downing Street Accord follows related agreements with Singapore and Japan, coming because the UK seeks to consolidate affect within the Indo-Pacific.

It will embody a defence settlement that can enhance the British and Korean militaries’ co-operation on countering smuggling within the East China Sea which North Korea depends on to evade sanctions.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps stated: ‘The UK is main the way in which in supporting our Korean associates in countering North Korea’s aggressive posturing and guaranteeing the security and safety of the Indo-Pacific.

‘Deepening the ties between the Royal Navy and Republic of Korea Navy, our bilateral defence relationship has by no means been stronger.’

Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron stated: ‘This settlement – signed 70 years after the Korean War Armistice – is a very distinctive step within the strengthening of our work to safe the safety of the Korean Peninsula and the area. We are proud, as a everlasting member of the UN Security Council, to be on the forefront of worldwide sanctions enforcement exercise.

‘This incudes upholding worldwide commitments to curtail North Korea’s unlawful weapons programmes.’

Downing Street stated the accord may also see the nations work nearer collectively on know-how comparable to synthetic intelligence, semi-conductors and quantum.

Science ministers may also signal a memorandum of understanding to spice up area co-operation.

South Korea will host subsequent 12 months’s AI summit after the primary UK-backed gathering in Bletchley Park earlier this month.

The UK go to coincides with the a hundred and fortieth anniversary of diplomatic relations between the UK and Korea, in addition to the seventieth anniversary of the armistice of the Korean conflict.