By Lee Jon-young

President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is visiting New York to attend the 78th high-level session of the United Nations General Assembly, held his first summit with Prime Minister Philip Joseph Pierre of Saint Lucia since taking office on Sept. 18.
 

During the meeting, President Yoon requested Saint Lucia's support for the 2030 Busan World Expo and exchanged views on the development of bilateral relations.

President Yoon noted that the two countries, which share the values of freedom, democracy, and human rights, are longtime friends who have worked closely together in various fields, including development cooperation, and assured Saint Lucia that the country's recent requests for support for the renovation of a cricket stadium and a youth training vehicle project will be expedited. 

President Yoon also said that the Republic of Korea wants to strengthen cooperation with Caribbean countries in areas such as climate change and clean energy transition, and expects the active cooperation and role of Saint Lucia, which hosts the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Secretariat, in this process.

Prime Minister Pierre expressed his gratitude for the Korean government's decision to support the free aid project, which will help Saint Lucia prepare for next year's Cricket World Cup, especially the renovation of the cricket stadium's scoreboard. 

Prime Minister Pierre also welcomed South Korea's efforts to strengthen climate change response support to the Caribbean region, including the Caribbean Coastal Erosion Monitoring Project, and expressed his hope for closer communication in this area.

The two leaders used the meeting as an opportunity to further enhance bilateral exchanges.