Lee to host Britain's Princess Anne at the Blue House on Tuesday

President Lee Jae Myung will meet Princess Anne, the younger sister of Britain's King Charles III, at the Blue House on Tuesday to discuss deeper cooperation between the two countries.

Anne will visit Korea from Monday to Wednesday, where she will also commemorate 75 years since British troops fought in the Korean War.

The British princess is traveling with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Blue House said Monday. A daughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II, Anne last visited Korea eight years ago, for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, which she attended as a member of the International Olympic Committee.

The British Embassy in Seoul noted that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Imjin River and the Battle of Kapyong, two major Korean War engagements in which British forces fought, and said the visit falls in a year of special significance for the shared history of Britain and Korea.

Anne plans to attend a memorial ceremony at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan to honor the British and Commonwealth troops who died in the war and to meet Korean War veterans. She will also observe examples of Korea-Britain cooperation in the maritime, shipbuilding and defense industries in Busan and Ulsan.

The British royal family has maintained close ties with Korea through regular visits over the years, including Queen Elizabeth II's historic state visit in 1999.

The Blue House said it expects the meeting to energize high-level exchanges between Korea and Britain, which are global strategic partners. The two sides are expected to hold in-depth talks on expanding trade and investment and on deepening practical cooperation in science, technology, culture and other fields, as well as on recent key developments in the region.

BY KO SEUNG-PYO [[email protected]]