1. In a bid to mark the second anniversary of the Republic of Korea’s accession to the Arctic Council as an observer, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se has invited diplomats to the ROK from member and observer states of the Arctic Council to the Araon, an ice breaker for research purposes. The event on July 7 will serve as an opportunity to inform the diplomats of the ROK’s research and diplomatic activities related to the Arctic and to promote the environment-friendly shipbuilding technology of the ROK, a powerhouse in maritime transport and shipbuilding.

2. The ROK government joined the Arctic Council as a permanent observer in 2013, adopting later in the year a basic Arctic strategy designed to systematically boost the ROK’s presence in the Arctic region. Under the strategy, the government is working with the international community to attain its common goal of environment protection and sustainable development of the Arctic, while stepping up cooperation with countries in the region under its Eurasia Initiative.

◦ The ROK will continue taking an active part in the work of the Arctic Council led by the US, its new chair country, while making continued diplomatic efforts toward the attainment of the common international goal of the “development and preservation of the Arctic” by drawing upon the country’s scientific research and industrial technology.

3. The Araon, the venue of the event, plying the Arctic and the Antarctic since its launch in 2009, is playing a leading role in scientific research in the polar regions. After the event, the ice breaker will embark on a voyage to the Beaufort Sea in the Arctic Ocean for a joint research by the ROK, the US and Canada.


* unofficial translation