Press Briefing

Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations Noh Kyu-duk

September 11, 2018  14:30  KST

Good afternoon. Let me start today’s briefing.

First, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will attend the World Economic Forum on ASEAN, to be co-hosted by the WEF and the government of Vietnam in Hanoi, Vietnam, from September 11 till 13, as co-chair.

Minister Kang will attend a joint press conference of co-chairs, a session on “ASEAN’s women entrepreneurs,” and a session on “Asia’s geopolitical outlook,” in which she will explain the position of the government of the Republic of Korea on issues on the Korean Peninsula, and the New Southern Policy. She will also stress that the ROK is committed to advancing the ROK-ASEAN relations in a future-oriented manner, and that ASEAN’s role is important in doing so.

On the sidelines of the WEF on ASEAN, Minister Kang will pay courtesy calls on Vietnam’s Prime Minister, and Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, and meet bilaterally with Japan’s Foreign Minister, Chile’s Foreign Minister, and Executive Chairman of the WEF Klaus Schwab.

Minister Kang’s participation in the upcoming WEF on ASEAN is expected to serve as an opportunity to publicly express the ROK government’s willingness to strengthen cooperation with ASEAN, and to ask for the international community’s support for the ROK government’s policies on issues on the Korean Peninsula.

Moving on to the next topic, Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam will meet with Simon McDonald, the Permanent Under Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom, at the Foreign Ministry on September 13.

The two sides will exchange views on regional issues, including the situation on the Korean Peninsula, Brexit, and the Iranian issue, and discuss ways to continue to enhance the ROK-UK relations.

Lastly, Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will attend the “12th Seoul ODA International Conference,” to be held in Seoul on September 13.

The upcoming event will be held under the theme “Inclusive ODA for Global Peace, Democracy and Human Rights.”

In his congratulatory remarks, Vice Minister Cho will explain ways to achieve global peace and democracy, and promote human rights through ODA, and talk about what efforts the ROK is making in the area of international development cooperation.

Thank you.

(A question-and-answer session followed.)

* unofficial translation