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Sweden

South Korean state visit to Sweden begins

After concluding a state visit to neighbouring Norway, South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in and his wife, First Lady Kim Jung-sook travelled to Sweden for another state visit on the invitation of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.

The President and First Lady are in Sweden for a two-day visit that is aimed at strengthening the relationship between the two countries whose strategic relationship started 60 years ago. The Royal Court explained the visit’s purpose as consolidating and enhancing “the good relations between the two countries.”

Photo: Henrik Garlöv / Kungl. Royal Court

Yesterday morning, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia welcomed their Korean guests at the Royal Palace in Stockholm before a short carriage ride, the reviewing of troops, and a welcome in the Inner Courtyard alongside members of the Swedish parliament, the “Riksdag”.

Afterwards, the President and First Lady went into the Royal Palace for a gift exchange where they also met Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia.

His Majesty and His Excellency then spoke to the media in Lovisa Ulrika’s dining room where the King remarked, “Sweden and the Republic of Korea share the fundamental values ​​of democracy, human rights and an open economy. This is a solid foundation for our friendship. And this state visit is a manifestation of our desire to further strengthen our bonds.”

Later, President Moon met Riksdag Speaker, Andreas Norlén before the President spoke about the Korean Peninsula’s peace and security.

Meanwhile, Queen Silvia accompanied First Lady Jung-sook to Silviahemmet (a non-profit organisation who helps those with dementia and their families) where the ladies saw what the organisation offers and met with personnel and patients.

Lunch was then held at the Royal Palace for President Moon and the First Lady in which the Crown Princess Couple and Prince Couple also attended.

The afternoon saw a visit to the Ericsson Studio by the King and President. The Royal Court explained, “Ericsson is an important partner in the development of 5G in South Korea, and during the visit, various uses of the technology were demonstrated.”

Photo: Sara Friberg / Kungl. Royal Court

They then moved on to a business summit alongside Prime Minister Stefan Löfven.

“Sweden-Korea Business Summit brought together over 200 representatives from leading companies, start-ups and investors from Korea and Sweden. The seminar concerned social innovation and inclusive growth as well as innovation made possible by future technologies, including e-mobility, renewable energy, artificial intelligence and biomedicine,” the Royal Court explained.

Photo: Sara Friberg / Kungl. Royal Court

Photo: Sara Friberg / Kungl. Royal Court

Day one ended with a state banquet at the Royal Palace. The King, Queen, Crown Princess Couple, Prince Couple, and the Princess Couple (Princess Madeleine and Chris O’Neill) all attended the dinner in Karl XI’s gallery.

About author

Brittani is from Tennessee, USA. She is a political scientist and historian after graduating with a degree in the topics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in December 2014. She also holds a master's degree from Northeastern University. She enjoys reading and researching all things regarding the royals of the world. She's been researching, reading, and writing on royalty for over a decade. She became Europe Editor in October 2016, and then Deputy Editor in January 2019, and has been featured on several podcasts, radio shows, news broadcasts and websites including Global News Canada, ABC News Australia, WION India and BBC World News.