1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang, Kyung-wha attended a webinar titled “Democracy in the time of Corona,” co-hosted by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Sweden in the Republic of Korea on the afternoon of June 9.

o At the webinar, the foreign ministers of the ROK, Sweden and the Commonwealth of Australia, as well as scholars from home and abroad and officials from International IDEA identified challenges faced by democracy around the world due to COVID-19, and explored ways to defend and restore democratic values.

2. In Session 1, which Minister Kang attended along with Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde, Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne, and Secretary-General of International IDEA Kevin Casas-Zamora, Minister Kang introduced the ROK’s response based on the democratic principles of openness and transparency, particularly its experience in successfully holding a parliamentary election, and stressed the importance of social trust and civic participation, which are the foundation of democracy.

o Secretary-General of International IDEA Kevin Casas-Zamora, who moderated the session, said that COVID-19 is not only causing the health and economic crisis, but also having a mid- to long-term impact on the democratic system. Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne, who participated in the session as a panelist along with Minister Kang, expressed concern over authoritarianism, false information and trust-damaging crisis in the time of COVID-19. Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde pointed out that promoting global cooperation among various actors is necessary to overcome the crisis of democracy caused by the current COVID-19 situation.

o In Session 2, held after Session 1, scholars from the ROK, Sweden, and Australia, and officials from International IDEA, had a discussion on “COVID-19 and democracy” and a question-and-answer session with the online audience.

3. In line with the “distancing in daily life” guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the webinar was held via remote participation by the ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of Sweden in the ROK, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia, and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, and was broadcast live online.

o General viewers around the world showed a significant interest in the timely topic, and communicated and participated actively through the live Q&A session.

4. The webinar served as a good opportunity to share major countries’ experiences and reflections as well as academics’ analyses and assessments regarding the implementation of democracy in the time of COVID-19. It is also seen to have been an opportunity for the international community to muster their will to defend democracy more firmly in the spirit of solidarity and cooperation even amid the global crisis.