SEOUL, South Korea – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis held trade talks with South Korean officials in Seoul on Wednesday in the course of the second leg of his four-country trip as Donald Trump’s potential rival seeks to construct his diplomatic profile ahead of the widely anticipated start of his presidential campaign.
Leading a trade mission from Florida, DeSantis met with South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and expressed hope to create more jobs by facilitating South Korean trade and investment in his state, in line with Han’s office.
Han, Seoul’s No. 2 official behind President Yoon Suk Yeol, called for closer cooperation in industries akin to space and aviation, which he described as Florida’s “strengths”.
![South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo (right) shakes hands with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis during a meeting at a government compound in Seoul, South Korea, April 26, 2023.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/AP23116188337249.jpg?w=1024)
DeSantis met earlier Wednesday with Kim Dong-yeon, governor of South Korea’s largest province, Gyeonggi, to debate searching for partnerships in industries akin to biotechnology and solar energy generation, Kim’s office said.
In response to DeSantis’s office, trade in goods between Florida and South Korea exceeds $1.3 billion, making Florida the country’s seventh-largest bilateral trading partner within the Asia-Middle East region.
DeSantis is taken into account the most important challenger to former President Trump for the Republican nomination within the 2024 presidential race.
![South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, fifth from left, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, fourth from left, pose for a photo during a meeting at a government compound in Seoul, South Korea, April 26, 2023.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/AP23116189529606.jpg?w=1024)
![South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo (right) talks with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis during a meeting at a government compound in Seoul, South Korea, April 26, 2023.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/AP23116188792258.jpg?w=1024)
He is anticipated to announce his candidacy next month.
DeSantis, accompanied by government officials and his wife, Casey DeSantis, began his multi-country trip in Japan, where he met Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday and exchanged views on bilateral and regional issues, in line with Japan’s Foreign Ministry.
After South Korea, DeSantis will travel to Israel and the UK.