In November, the president of South Korea will travel to the United Kingdom in response to an invitation from King Charles III. At Buckingham Palace, the King and Queen Camilla will host Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, Kim Keon Hee.
It will be the second formal visit of the King's reign, following last year's stay by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. They have just returned from a three-day state visit to France.
Mr. Yoon, 62, visited the United States in April, when he sang one of his favorite tunes, Don McLean's American Pie, at a White House dinner at the request of President Joe Biden.
He received a rapturous ovation from the audience before the US president presented him with a guitar signed by McLean.
Mr. Yoon also secured a significant agreement with the United States to counter the nuclear threat posed by North Korea.
The specifics of his state visit to the United Kingdom have not been disclosed, but the trip will likely adhere to tradition by beginning with a ceremonial welcome, carriage procession to Buckingham Palace, and a state banquet on the first evening.
Approximately 150 attendees are typically invited to the formal ballroom event. Before dinner is served, the King delivers a speech and proposes a toast to the visiting head of state. The guest then responds and proposes a toast to the King.
When Elizabeth II was being laid to rest, there was a reception held at the palace for heads of state and official guests from overseas.
The King of England and the President of South Korea were both in attendance. However, Mr. Yoon was criticized across the political spectrum in South Korea for not visiting the late queen's casket while it was laying in state.
He offered an explanation that heavy traffic prevented him from doing so.
Following the Itaewon Halloween crowd crush in 2022, in which more than 150 people were killed in Seoul's party district, the King extended his condolences to the people of South Korea.
As the Prince of Wales, King Charles was an important guest at a state banquet held in 2004 by the late queen in honor of Roh Moo-hyun, who was serving as the leader of South Korea at the time.
In November of 1992, the King made another trip to South Korea, this time accompanied by his then-wife, Diana, Princess of Wales.
On the recommendation of the British government, the King extended invitations to visit the United Kingdom to foreign heads of state, including presidents and prime ministers.
State visits are not only formal affairs; rather, they are also diplomatic weapons that governments utilize to advance what they regard as being in the national interest of the United Kingdom.
It is customary for visitors visiting the United Kingdom to meet with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, other ministers of the British government, and the leaders of the major political parties.
They might go to another banquet sponsored by the Lord Mayor and City of London Corporation, where they will meet influential figures from the business and industrial communities.
