열린장관실

Opening Remarks at the 13th High-level Forum on the Korea-Caribbean Partnership by H.E. Park Jin, Minister of Foreign Affairs

Good morning everyone!

I am Park Jin, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea.

Honorable Kamina Johnson Smith (카미나 존슨 스미스),

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica,

Honorable Albert Ramdin (앨버트 람딘),

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Suriname,

Honorable Orlando Habet (올란도 하벳),

Minister of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management of Belize,

Honorable Andy Joseph Williams (앤디 조셉 윌리엄즈),

Minister of Mobilisation, Implementation and Transformation of Grenada,

Honorable Everly Paul Chet Greene (에벌리 폴 쳇 그린),

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Trade of Antigua and Barbuda,

Honorable Rodolfo Sabonge (로돌포 사봉헤),

Secretary General of the Association of Caribbean States,

His Excellency Robert Kennedy Lewis (로버트 케네디 루이스)

Ambassador of Saint Lucia,

And Excellencies and Distinguished Guests

to the 13th High-level Forum on the Korea-Caribbean Partnership.

I am very grateful to all the participants who have traveled such a long distance, traversing the Pacific Ocean to be here today.

This shows how much our relationship has strengthened.

I hope you are not too jet-lagged from the long flights.

As you know, this year marks the 50th anniversary of CARICOM. This is an important milestone, generating renewed momentum for cooperation between Korea and the Caribbean. I believe our Korea-Caribbean relationship will further flourish through today’s Forum.

President Yoon Suk-yeol held bilateral summits with the leaders from Caribbean countries during the United Nations General Assembly held last September in New York. He met the leaders from St. Lucia, Belize, Suriname, St. Kitts and Nevis, Haiti, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

These Summits created opportunities to discuss in depth on various measures for cooperation and to expand the horizons for new forms of collaboration between Korea and the Caribbean.

Last July, our Prime Minister Han Duck-soo attended the 45th Conference of Heads of Government of the CARICOM. This marked the first such attendance by a summit-level official.

On the occasion of the Conference, the Prime Minister held bilateral meetings with all 14 CARICOM Member countries and presented a vision for strengthening the Korea- Caribbean cooperation.

This vision includes a significant increase in Korea’s contribution to the Korea-CARICOM Cooperation Fund; the establishment of the Korea-Caribbean Joint Ocean Research Center for climate change response; and advancing a high-level Korea-Caribbean dialogue.

Moreover, plans were announced to promote capacity-building and knowledge-sharing with the Caribbean to explore joint solutions to serious marine problems. These include sustainable fishing and marine environment protection.

In May, I myself delivered an address at the ACS Ministerial Council, held in Antigua, Guatemala, which marked the first such address by a Korean Foreign Minister. During this address, I expressed the strong aspiration and wish of the Korean Government to cooperate with the Caribbean nations.

Especially, I introduced our administration’s vision of serving as a Global Pivotal State, or GPS in short. The GPS aims to contribute to freedom, peace, and prosperity of the world. The Korean government thinks that the Caribbean countries are important partners to realize our GPS vision.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Secretary General Sabonge for his support for closer Korean-Caribbean cooperation.

Today's forum will be a great opportunity to discuss avenues for shared prosperity under the theme of “Korea-Caribbean Partnership for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth”.

Various constructive ideas and initiatives will be shared today. There include climate change response, economy and commerce, and development cooperation.

And I hope that these constructive measures will help overcome the challenges facing both Korean and the Caribbean regions.

Our partnership is not solely based on necessity, but rather it is a solid partnership of unwavering and lasting friendship.

‘The High-Level Forum on the Korea-Caribbean Partnership’ has been held every year since its launch in 2011, and is marking its 13th anniversary today.

I understand that the Caribbean delegates will visit Busan tomorrow for two days. Busan is a great city that played a pioneering role in achieving Korea’s economic transformation.

During the Korean War, faced with the all-out communist attack, the whole of South Korea was devastated - except the area of Busan. Fortunately, we were able to receive military supplies and international support through the Busan Port which turned the tide of the War.

Also, the raw materials and processed products transported through the Port of Busan helped Korea to achieve rapid economic growth.

So, without Busan, Korea could not have survived and prospered as we see the country today. Busan is a symbol of Korea’s “economic miracle.”

2030 Busan World Expo will provide a historic opportunity to share our own unique experience with the participating countries through the spirit of solidarity, not of competition.

The Busan EXPO will be the first Expo to meet the global challenges like climate change and marine ecosystem conservation. These are all matters of great importance to the maritime Caribbean countries. We ask you all to join and support our sincere efforts.

Honorable Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The four seasons of Korea have their own special charm respectively.

Above all, autumn is the most splendid season in Korea. We say that the sky is getting higher and the horses are getting stouter. What makes it beautiful is its colorful trees of a whole range of hues, and picturesque falling leaves.

Please enjoy the beautiful scenery of autumn to its fullest during your visit to Korea.

Once again, I welcome you all and I hope that the Korean-Caribbean partnership will bring brilliant and tangible outcomes through mutually beneficial cooperation between the two regions.

Thank you.