Deputy Prime Minister Koo Yun-cheol abruptly cancels G20 meeting, returns home from airport

[Financial News] Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yun-cheol abruptly canceled his trip to attend the Group of Twenty (G20) Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' Meeting in the United States. According to government sources on the 30th, Koo went to Incheon International Airport on the morning of the day to attend the G20 meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, but returned without leaving the country.
It was also reported that not only his planned attendance at the G20 meeting, but also bilateral meetings with key officials, including United States Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, were canceled.
It is unusual for a senior government official's international trip to be canceled entirely just before departure. In particular, since the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' Meeting is a forum for discussing major economic and financial issues, attention is focused on the background behind the deputy prime minister's sudden absence.
It was reported that the cancellation was not due to circumstances involving the Ministry of Economy and Finance or the G20 side.
Because Koo canceled his departure after already arriving at the airport, speculation is growing within and outside the government that there may be more to the matter than a simple schedule change.
In political circles, in particular, attention is being paid to the possibility that the decision may be related to Koo's future.
This comes as Cheong Wa Dae is reportedly moving ahead with personnel appointments for a second Cabinet reshuffle after accepting the resignation of Minister of Justice Jeong Seong-ho.
It has not been confirmed whether Koo is included in the reshuffle, but his sudden cancellation of a major overseas schedule ahead of an imminent Cabinet shake-up is fueling a range of interpretations.
Officials inside and outside the government expect Koo's future to become clearer once the reshuffle is announced. For now, neither the exact reason for the cancellation nor any link to the personnel changes has been officially confirmed.

[email protected] Kang Jung-mo Reporter