By Lee Jon-young

President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is in San Francisco for the APEC Summit, held the first Korea-Peru summit since his inauguration with Peruvian President Dina Boluarte on Nov. 16.

During the meeting, the President requested Peru's support for the 2030 Busan World Expo and exchanged views on ways to develop bilateral relations.

During the summit, held eight years after the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the two leaders reaffirmed that Korea and Peru are comprehensive strategic partners with shared core values and agreed to strengthen cooperation in various fields, including defense, supply chain, development cooperation, and infrastructure.

In particular, the President praised the defense cooperation between the two countries in various fields, including the Air Force Basic Training Aircraft (KT-1P) and naval vessels, and said that he understood that the Peruvian government is promoting a project to introduce wheeled armored vehicles and new fighter jets, and called for Peru's interest and support for Korean armored vehicles and FA-50 (light fighter aircraft), which have proven their excellence. The President also expressed his hope to further expand mineral cooperation with Peru, which is rich in mineral resources such as copper, silver, and zinc.

President Boluarte said he looks forward to the continued development of defense cooperation with South Korea, which has a high level of defense technology, including the Basic Training Aircraft (KT-1P) and Multipurpose Support Vessels. In addition, President Boluarte said that Peru is developing a national infrastructure plan with the help of South Korea, and he looks forward to the active participation of Korean companies in various infrastructure projects that Peru is considering.

Boluarte expressed his strong support for South Korea's application to become an associate member of the Pacific Alliance (PA), which Yoon echoed. The two leaders agreed to work closely together to ensure that APEC contributes to prosperity and sustainable growth in the region as Peru will hold the APEC Chairmanship in 2024 and Korea in 2025.