South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday praised Korean residents in San Francisco for playing a large role in developing the alliance between South Korea and the United States.

Yoon met with a group of around 150 Koreans living in the city shortly after arriving here to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

"The history of the development of the South Korea-US alliance is equivalent to the history of the development of the Korean community in the United States," he said during the luncheon at a hotel.

"I believe the contributions of all of you here played a large role. The Koreans who arrived in Hawaii 120 years ago went through San Francisco before settling on the US mainland. San Francisco was the starting point of the history of Koreans on the US mainland," he added.

Yoon noted that this is his fourth visit to the US this year and relayed the results of his previous trips, such as the adoption of the Washington Declaration in April that calls for strengthening the US extended deterrence commitment to South Korea.

"During the upcoming APEC summit, South Korea and the United States will send a message that we will band together with the international community by cooperating on challenges and through innovation and tolerance," he said.

Yoon also noted the many Koreans working in the IT and advanced technology fields in and around Silicon Valley, saying their accomplishments not only enhance the rights and interests of Koreans in the US but also help South Korean advanced technology firms enter the US market.

"I ask you to continue to lend your support to developing the science and technology alliance between South Korea and the US by conducting exchanges and cooperating with talented people around the world," he said. (Yonhap)