Press Briefing

Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations Choi Youngsam

November 24, 2020  14:30  KST

Good afternoon. I am Choi Youngsam, the new Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Let me start today’s briefing.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang, Kyung-wha will deliver opening remarks at the “2^nd International Conference on Action with Women and Peace” to be held in a hybrid online and offline format on November 24.

At the second “International Conference on Action with Women and Peace” held this year following the first one last year as part of the “Action with Women and Peace” Initiative launched by the government of the Republic of Korea in 2018, Minister Kang will stress the importance of the survivor-centered approach in responding to sexual violence in conflict amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang, Kyung-wha will deliver a keynote address at the 13^th Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum on November 25.

At the upcoming forum to be held at the upgraded ministerial level in celebration of the “Year of New Northern Cooperation” this year, Minister Kang, together with foreign ministers of Central Asian countries, will express their commitment to strengthening cooperation in overcoming the COVID-19 crisis.

In addition, Minister Kang will meet bilaterally with her counterparts from the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Republic of Tajikistan, and the Republic of Kazakhstan who visited the ROK for the forum, and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong Kun will meet with his counterpart from the Kyrgyz Republic.

On November 25, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang, Kyung-wha will meet with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of the Republic of Ecuador Luis Gallegos, who is visiting the ROK to attend the Korea-LAC Future Cooperation Forum.

In the meeting, the two Ministers will exchange views on cooperation in COVID-19 response and ways to promote substantive cooperation in infrastructure and maritime safety.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang, Kyung-wha will deliver congratulatory remarks at the “Commemoration Ceremony of the Development Cooperation Day and High-Level Talk Concert” to be broadcast on the Foreign Ministry’s Facebook page on November 25 to celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the ROK’s membership of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC).

Minister Kang will note with appreciation that since the ROK’s accession to the OECD DAC, the volume and effectiveness of the ROK’s ODA have grown with the support of many Korean people, and stress that the ROK, as a donor, is committed to contributing to sustainable development.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang, Kyung-wha will hold a meeting and luncheon with Mr. Wang Yi, State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, on November 26.

The two Ministers will exchange views on issues of mutual interest, including cooperation on COVID-19 response, high-level exchanges, and other issues concerning the ROK-China relations; the situation on the Korean Peninsula; and regional and global affairs.

State Councilor Wang’s visit to the ROK comes in about a year since his official visit to the ROK in December last year. The upcoming visit is expected to serve as an opportunity to continue high-level communication between the two countries amid the COVID-19 pandemic and explore various ways to advance bilateral relations.

Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lee Taeho will deliver opening remarks at “The Third Open Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Forum” on November 24.

At the forum to be held together with civil society to promote people’s awareness of SDGs, Vice Minister Lee will stress the importance of cooperation and solidarity for post-COVID-19 sustainable development.

Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lee Taeho will hold the 5^th ROK-Mongolia Joint Committee Meeting with Minister of Environment and Tourism of Mongolia Davaajantsan Sarangerel in a virtual format on November 24.

In the Joint Committee Meeting, the two sides will celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the ROK and Mongolia in 2020, and hold in-depth discussions on ways to strengthen cooperation in people-to-people exchanges and development cooperation with Mongolia, a key cooperation partner for the ROK’s New Northern Policy.

Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lee Taeho will deliver opening remarks at the “2020 International Conference on UNESCO World Heritage Interpretation” to be held virtually on November 24.

At the conference to be held under the theme “Rights-based approaches in heritage interpretation,” Vice Minister Lee will stress that comprehensive and inclusive heritage interpretation is important to understand the full history surrounding world heritage.

On November 25, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong Kun will meet with Vice Foreign Minister of the Republic of Costa Rica Adriana Bolaños, who is visiting the ROK to attend the Korea-LAC Future Cooperation Forum.

The two sides will discuss ways to reinforce substantive cooperation linked with the “Korean New Deal” including the construction project for environmentally-friendly electric passenger trains, and to advance the ROK-Central America relations in collaboration with Costa Rica which will hold the presidency of the Central American Integration System (SICA) in 2021.

(A question-and-answer session followed.)