1. Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun attended the third G20 Meeting of Foreign Affairs Ministers held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on May 20 and 21, where he discussed with the other participants the role that the G20 member states can play with regard to multilateralism and global governance and for a fair and sustainable development. The Meeting was held to prepare for the G20 summit to come on November 30 and December 1.

* The first and second rounds of the G20 Meeting of Foreign Affairs Ministers took place in Mexico in 2012 and Hamburg in 2017, respectively.

2. At the G20 Meeting of Foreign Affairs Ministers, the participants reestablished the significance and role of the G20, drawing a common understanding that the G20 should exercise leadership in building governance over global issues.

3. In session I on “multilateralism and global governance,” the participants, recognizing the significance of multilateralism, including at the G20, in responding to various international issues, including UN reform, terrorism, cyber security, climate change and refugees, agreed to maintain policy cooperation.

° Vice Minister Cho brought attention to the need for the G20 to put forward timely and effective policies on digital economy and to particularly conduct international cooperation and establish governance on cyber security and other issues.

4. In session II on “action for a fair and sustainable development,” the participants drew a common understanding that in order to overcome challenges in the era of the digital economy-based fourth industrial revolution, efforts should be made to respond to issues in the fields of employment and education, and to build infrastructure for development; and that the G20 member states should work closely together to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and thereby an inclusive growth.

° Vice Minister Cho spoke of the Republic of Korea government’s efforts to build a “people-centered economy,” the core strategies of which are job-led growth, fair economy and innovative growth, adding that the focus is on laying an economic foundation for the low- and middle-income groups.

5. At the G20 Meeting, Vice Minister Cho also shared with the other participants the outcome of the inter-Korean summit talks held on April 27; and asked for the G20’s support for the efforts toward the denuclearization of North Korea and the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula. In response, a number of the G20 member states expressed strong support for the Korean Peninsula peace process.

6. On the sidelines of the G20 Meeting, Vice Minister Cho met bilaterally with Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan of the US, during which the two senior diplomats reaffirmed the shared ROK-US position regarding the bilateral alliance as well as the denuclearization and the establishment of a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula; agreed to work more closely together in the sectors of economy and science; and discussed ways to cooperate at the G20.

※ The 2018 G20 Meeting of Foreign Affairs Ministers took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on May 20 and 21 under the themes of “multilateralism and global governance” and “action for a fair and sustainable development.”

The event brought together delegates from the G20 member states -- the US, Japan, the UK, France, Germany, Canada and Italy (G7); Brazil, Russia, India, China, and the South African Republic (BRICS); Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Turkey and Australia (MIKTA); and Argentina, Saudi Arabia and the EU.

Also among the participants were delegates from seven non-G20 countries invited to the event -- Spain (permanent invitee), Jamaica (chair of the Caribbean Community, or CARICOM), Rwanda (chair of the African Union), Senegal (chair of the New Partnership for Africa's Development, or NEPAD), Singapore (chair of ASEAN), the Netherlands and Chile -- and from ten international organizations -- the UN, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank (WB), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Financial Stability Board (FSB), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), and the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF).

* unofficial translation