Press Briefing
Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Affairs Soosuk Lim
January 5, 2023 14:30 KST
Good afternoon. Let me start today’s briefing.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin will hold his first telephone conversation with his new Malaysian counterpart Dr. Zambry Abd Kadir on January 6.
Over the phone, Foreign Ministers Park and Zambry will discuss pending issues between Korea and Malaysia, situations on the Korean Peninsula and in other regions, and cooperation on the international stage. With the year 2023 marking the 40th anniversary of the Look East Policy (LEP) between the two countries, the Foreign Ministers will also exchange views on ways to bolster bilateral relations.
In addition, Foreign Minister Park will share the Korean government’s recently announced Indo-Pacific Strategy and convey its commitment to working closely with Malaysia, one of Korea’s major cooperation partners in ASEAN, in implementing the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative.
Moving on, Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin will preside over the 5th meeting of the Committee on Grant Strategy on January 10.
The meeting, where overall grant-related matters will be reviewed and coordinated, will bring together officials of 14 government agencies which carry out grant projects, as well as the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Export-Import Bank of Korea .
The participants will finalize the grant project plan for this year based on the budget passed by the National Assembly, and approve the Grant Strategy in the Agricultural Sector as well as the Policy Guidance on bilateral grant to Africa.
In the meeting on grant strategy, Korea is expected to set a direction for its grant policy and thereby implement its ODA projects more effectively.
(A question-and-answer session followed.)