Britain’s Starmer confuses S-Korean interpreter with leader

(MENAFN) UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer appeared to mistake a South Korean interpreter for the country’s president during a photo opportunity at the G7 summit in Canada. The incident occurred at the entrance to the summit venue, where a video shows Starmer warmly shaking hands and smiling at the interpreter, unaware that South Korean President Lee Jae-myung was standing just behind, waiting to be acknowledged.

Starmer held the interpreter’s hand for several seconds before realizing the error, at which point President Lee stepped forward for a proper greeting. The two leaders eventually shook hands, but another moment of confusion followed as they hesitated over where to stand for the official photo. South Korea attended the summit as a guest nation, alongside Australia and India.

The UK government has denied that the incident constituted a diplomatic embarrassment.

The day before the mix-up, Starmer was seen kneeling in front of U.S. President Donald Trump to pick up trade documents Trump had dropped, adding to what some observers have described as a series of awkward moments.

The 51st G7 summit focused on a range of global issues, including support for Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, economic sanctions, artificial intelligence, and energy security.

During the event, Trump criticized the decision to expel Russia from what was formerly the G8, claiming that Moscow’s participation could have helped prevent the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin, for its part, has dismissed the G7 as increasingly irrelevant and unrepresentative of current global economic realities.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev echoed Trump’s sentiments, calling the G7 a “dead club” and stating on social media that its members had resembled “zombies” even a decade ago. He also praised Trump’s early departure from the summit.

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