Former President Moon Jae-in [Yonhap]
Former President Moon Jae-in [Yonhap]

Former President Moon Jae-in departed for Mongolia on Sunday to attend the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Conference of the Parties, among other engagements.

The trip marks his second official overseas visit since leaving office. Over eight nights and nine days, Moon is scheduled to deliver speeches at international conferences, meet with former and current heads of state, and visit forest restoration sites.

Moon completed departure procedures at Gimhae International Airport in Busan before connecting through Incheon International Airport on his way to Mongolia. The visit came at the official invitation of the UNCCD and Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh.

Moon is set to attend the opening ceremony of the 17th UNCCD Conference of the Parties in Ulaanbaatar on Monday and deliver a keynote address as a distinguished guest. He will also attend a luncheon hosted by President Khurelsukh.

On Wednesday, Moon will deliver a keynote speech at a high-level roundtable on the Peace Forest Initiative (PFI).

The PFI is an international cooperation platform South Korea proposed in 2019 during the Moon administration and launched jointly with the UNCCD. It was established to advance both environmental goals and peacebuilding through forest cooperation in border regions and similar areas.

Choi Jong-kun, a professor at Yonsei University who served as first vice foreign minister under Moon, defended the former president's overseas activities. "I believe former presidents should be able to meet with current and former world leaders even after leaving office, and share their experiences and ideas at international organizations such as the UN," Choi said. He added that the diplomatic experience and leader-to-leader networks built during a presidential term need not disappear once that term ends, describing Moon's Mongolia visit as "a new role for a former president." Choi also delivered a keynote address on topics including the rapidly shifting international order and inter-Korean relations.


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