An awkward moment unfolded at the G7 summit when UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer appeared to greet a South Korean interpreter instead of the President himself. The confusion occurred at the beginning of a formal meeting with South Korea’s newly elected President Lee Jae-myung.
The PM, seemingly unaware that the President had walked in behind him, shook hands with the translator before turning to greet Lee, who assumed office just two weeks ago.
The incident happened during the opening stages of the G7 summit, held at a mountain resort in Canada. As the leaders prepared for official talks, Starmer also seemed momentarily unsure of where to stand for the customary photographs, leading to a few seconds of further confusion. However, Downing Street dismissed reports of a handshake mix-up as inaccurate.
Once the brief disruption passed, Starmer reiterated the UK’s intent to build deeper ties with South Korea. “We have a good strong relationship with South Korea and want to strengthen it even further,” he said, pointing to areas like defence cooperation and enhancing the UK-South Korea free trade agreement. President Lee, who is attending the summit as part of the G7’s outreach engagement, agreed with the need to modernise their trade deal.
This encounter came a day after another moment of awkwardness involving Starmer and former US President Donald Trump. During a separate bilateral meeting, Trump dropped documents related to a proposed transatlantic trade deal, prompting Starmer to crouch and retrieve them. Explaining the moment to reporters later, Starmer said he acted quickly because he feared anyone else approaching Trump might be intercepted by his security detail.
“There weren’t many choices with the documents and picking it up,” Starmer said. “As you probably know, there were quite strict rules about who can get close to the president. I was deeply conscious that it wouldn’t have been good for anybody else to step forward.”
Meanwhile, Trump made a factual error during his comments, mistakenly claiming the US had signed a trade agreement with the European Union instead of the UK. When asked if concerns should be raised about the former President’s health following the incident, Starmer declined to comment, suggesting there was no reason for alarm.