By Lee Jon Young

President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is in New York for the 78th High-level Session of the United Nations General Assembly, held a summit with President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh of Mongolia on the afternoon of September 21.

During the meeting, President Yoon reiterated Mongolia's support for the 2030 Busan World Expo and exchanged views with President Khurelsukh on ways to develop bilateral relations.

President Yoon assessed that the two countries have great potential for cooperation in various fields such as eco-friendly, distribution, and minerals, and called for President Khurelsukh's interest in facilitating the ongoing project to build the Korea-Mongolia Rare Metals Cooperation Center to connect Mongolia's abundant underground resources with Korea's advanced technologies. 

President Yoon also called for the implementation of the Korea-Mongolia Climate Change Cooperation Agreement, signed in February this year, so that both countries can contribute to achieving carbon neutrality in 2050 and the international community's efforts to combat climate change.

President Yoon also expressed his hope that the Trilateral Commission between the Republic of Korea, the United States, and Mongolia, which was launched this year, will promote practical cooperation among the three countries in the political, security, and economic fields.

President Khurelsukh said that as a close neighbor and strategic partner of Mongolia, South Korea has great potential to expand cooperation in all fields, and he looks forward to expanding cooperation with South Korea, especially in the areas of rare metals and minerals, new city development, and people-to-people exchanges.

On the occasion of the meeting, the two leaders agreed to further enhance bilateral exchanges and continue to identify cooperative projects that will benefit the two economies.