▶ First ever session of the Annual Meeting of Heads of Overseas Diplomatic Missions to meet with Governors of Provincial Governments

▶ MOU Signed Between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and The Governors Association of the Republic of Korea

1. For the first time ever, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs dedicated a session of the Annual Meeting of Korea’s Heads of Overseas Diplomatic Missions to meet with mayors and governors of the metropolitan and provincial governments at Lotte Hotel on April 23.

2. As the importance of subnational diplomacy is being emphasized globally, at this session, discussions concentrated on ways to enhance cooperation between the Foreign Ministry and the provincial governments in joint efforts to revive people’s livelihood.

3. Attended by around 200 participants including Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, Vice Foreign Minister Kang Insun and other high level officials from the Foreign Ministry, Park Heong-joon, President of the Governors Association of the Republic of Korea (Mayor of Busan), Kim Young-hwan, Governor of Chungcheongbuk-do Province, all of the Heads of Overseas Diplomatic Missions, and 17 Ambassadors for International Relations seconded to each provincial government.

※ The Governors Association of the Republic of Korea (GAROK) is composed of 17 governors of the metropolitan and provincial governments.

※ Participants from the metropolitan and provincial governments: Park Heong-joon, President of the GAROK and Mayor of Busan; Kim Young-hwan, Governor of Chungcheongbuk-do; Yoo Deuk-won, Vice Mayor for Administrative Affairs of Daejeon Metropolitan City; Lee Seung-won, Vice Mayor for Economic Affairs of Sejong City; Seo Jung-wook, Vice Mayor for Administrative Affairs of Ulsan Metropolitan City; Choi Byeong-gwan, Deputy Governor of Jeonbuk State

4. Minister Cho emphasized in his welcoming remarks that subnational diplomacy not only helps enhance people’s livelihoods and local economies but also significantly contributes to the growth of national economy. He stressed the importance of the Ministry and provincial governments becoming ‘one team’ and working together to strengthen subnational diplomacy. He also proposed that collaboration will be strengthened through the newly established division in the Foreign Ministry which will deal with assisting local governments with their diplomatic endeavors.

5. President Park, in his congratulatory speech, described the signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Ministry and the GAROK as an official declaration aimed at enhancing the global competitiveness of cities, thereby maximizing our diplomatic competitiveness and national interests. He also referenced the efforts made to host the 2030 Busan World Expo last year as a case demonstrating the importance of subnational diplomacy. He expressed expectations for further cooperation between the Ministry and provincial governments in the future.

6. Governor Kim introduced several cases of Chungcheongbuk-do’s international cooperation and requested the active support of Heads of the Overseas Diplomatic Missions in his efforts to address major challenges, including manpower shortages which is a grave issue for the Province. He particularly appealed for the Ministry and Heads of the Overseas Diplomatic Missions’ attention and cooperation to attract international students to local areas.

7. During the session, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minister Cho Tae-yul) and the The Governors Association of the Republic of Korea (President Park Heong-joon) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) outlining initiatives such as activating local economies, expanding cultural exchanges between provincial governments, and strengthening activities of ambassadors for international relations to the provincial governments.

8. The signing of this MOU is evaluated as establishing an institutional basis for strengthening collaboration mechanism between the Ministry and provincial governments as one team, and is expected to contribute to the realization of the era of local governance and balanced development of local regions.

9. Based on the MOU, the Ministry plans to establish a team by this year, to facilitate communication and coordination among the Ministry - overseas diplomatic missions - local governments and support subnational diplomacy of each provincial government.