1. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha attended the “21st Future Leaders’ Conference,” held at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul, on September 17. At the conference, Minister Kang welcomed and offered encouragement to 74 Korean future leaders from 24 countries around the world who visited their homeland.

※ key participants in the opening ceremony: Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, four lawmakers (lawmakers from the Minjoo Party of Korea  Park Byeong-seok, Song Young-gil, Lee Seok-hyun, and Shim Jae-kwon), head of the Overseas Koreans Foundation Han Woo-sung, etc.

2. In her congratulatory remarks, Minister Kang welcomed the Korean future leaders who visited their homeland, the Republic of Korea, at an important time in history when the 3rd inter-Korean summit takes place, and asked for their strong support to ensure that the upcoming inter-Korean summit becomes an important milestone on the path towards peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.

3. In addition, Minister Kang asked the future leaders to create success stories of making the impossible possible in their areas, just like their homeland, the ROK, which has achieved remarkable economic growth and democracy in the past half-century. She said that the ROK would do its best to support the future leaders’ growth and development.

4. Meanwhile, after delivering congratulatory remarks, Minister Kang, together with the conference participants, wished for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, putting flowers of peace in a map of the Korean Peninsula.

5. The Future Leaders’ Conference, hosted by the Overseas Koreans Foundation and sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is an event to which Korean future leaders who excel in a range of areas, including politics, economy, law, media, culture and arts, are invited. The event has contributed to mustering Korean future leaders’ capabilities, building networks among them, and strengthening their bond with their homeland by helping them gain various experiences in the ROK, including exchanges with organizations of future leaders in the ROK, as well as visits to cultural and security-related sites, such as the Korean Folk Village, and the Demilitarized Zone.

* unofficial translation