1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang, Kyung-wha attended the 9^th multilateral video conference among the foreign ministers of the “Ministerial Coordination Group on COVID-19” at 9:00 pm, June 9, Korea Standard Time, and suggested that countries, while maintaining stable disease prevention and control, further step up efforts to continue essential exchanges with one another in a bid to maintain global supply chains and achieve economic recovery.

° Minister Kang explained that the Republic of Korea, while keeping its borders open, has made diplomatic efforts at the bilateral level in order to permit essential business travel and travel on humanitarian purposes in exception to travel restrictions. She added that the ROK intends to expand such exceptions starting with countries and regions where conditions permit in terms of disease prevention and control.

2. Minister Kang went on to explain the situation in the ROK, saying that since the initial stages of the COVID-19 crisis, the ROK government has continued to seek ways to enable people’s economic activities and daily lives while curbing the spread of COVID-19 infections and has steadily been working for “distancing in everyday life” to take root.

° Minister Kang mentioned that, despite this, it is not yet the time to be complacent as can be seen from the recent occurrence of sporadic cluster infections particularly in the capital area, and thus the ROK is dealing with the situation without loosening its vigilance by fully mobilizing its capacity for disease prevention and control as well as resources.

° The Minister also explained that, in a bid to overcome its economic crisis as soon as possible and to prepare for the post-COVID-19 era, the ROK government plans to implement a Korean version of the New Deal with two pillars -- the “Digital New Deal” and the “Green Deal” -- and is seeking to earmark a large-scale additional budget for the policy.

3. Minister Kang also stressed that as vaccines are public goods for humanity, it is important for the international community to collaborate in drawing up ways to distribute vaccines equitably and stably after their development.

4. The foreign ministers drew a common understanding that amid the prolonged crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, close communication and collaboration among countries is highly essential, shared the progress in the respective countries’ efforts as well as their plans on COVID-19 response, and agreed to continue close bilateral and multilateral communication and collaboration.

5. The video conference, held for the 9th time since its first meeting on March 15, brought together the foreign ministers of 7 countries -- the ROK, Canada, which had proposed the meeting, the Commonwealth of Australia, the Republic of Indonesia, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Republic of Peru, and the Republic of Singapore.