On May 10 and 11, 2022, at the request of the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Senate, the Honourable George J. Furey, Q.C., travelled to the Republic of Korea to attend the inauguration of President Yoon Suok-Yul. Speaker Furey was accompanied by his Chief of Staff, Mr. Vince MacNeil. In addition to the events related to the inauguration, the Speaker had the opportunity to meet with the following people:
While the main purpose of the visit to the Republic of Korea was to represent Canada at the inauguration of the President, the Speaker took the opportunity to meet with additional interlocuters with the goal of strengthening bilateral ties and making meaningful connections at the parliamentary level.
In addition to the aforementioned meetings, the Speaker had the privilege to visit the Ewha Girls Foreign Language High School where he met with Principal Shim Chung-Gu and interacted with students. He was also honoured to lay a wreath, alongside members of the United Nations Command, at the War Memorial of Korea during a solemn tribute to lives lost in the Korean War.
Speaker Furey was supported by the Ambassador and senior officials from the Embassy of Canada for briefings on an array of topics, with a focus on current economic and geopolitical realities.
The report will be available once it has been tabled in the Senate.