Minister Kang Kyung-wha to Attend Geneva Disarmament Conference on 24th... Series of Korea-Germany and Korea-UK Foreign Minister Talks

Scheduled to deliver a keynote speech at the Human Rights Council
Attending the Ministerial Meeting on the Treaty on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation in Berlin, Germany on the 25th
Government bans entry of foreigners aboard Japanese cruise ships... Passenger lists still not secured

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is attending the 'Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee Plenary Meeting' held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 18th, responding to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will attend the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council and the Geneva Conference on Disarmament held in Geneva, Switzerland on the 24th, as well as the 2nd Ministerial Meeting on Disarmament and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons held in Berlin, Germany on the 25th.

Kim In-chul, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated at a regular briefing on the 20th, "Minister Kang is scheduled to address the Human Rights Council as a human rights council member state for the 2020-2022 term, highlighting our government's human rights-related concerns," and added, "At the disarmament conference, she will explain our government's efforts toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." Heads of states from countries such as Germany, Sweden, and Spain are expected to attend the Geneva disarmament conference.

Minister Kang is also scheduled to hold Korea-Germany and Korea-United Kingdom foreign ministerial talks on the 25th and 26th, respectively. Spokesperson Kim said, "At the Berlin ministerial meeting, opinions will be exchanged on key nuclear-weapon states and nuclear disarmament issues," and added, "Through the Korea-Germany and Korea-UK foreign ministerial talks, discussions will cover bilateral relations, practical cooperation, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and the P4G Summit to be held in Seoul this June."

Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and related agencies, the government is reportedly still unable to secure the passenger list of the cruise ship Diamond Princess, which was docked at Yokohama Port amid a surge of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

The Japanese government began disembarking passengers who tested negative for COVID-19 starting on the 19th. About 500 passengers, mostly Japanese nationals, disembarked in the first wave. As disembarkation continued until the 21st, the Korean government decided to ban the entry of foreigners who had been on the cruise and attempted to obtain the passenger list, but has faced difficulties in securing it due to privacy protection and other reasons.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "Our government has taken measures to verify whether passengers are Diamond Princess passengers at the ticketing stage during departure procedures for all flights and vessels departing from Japan, and if so, restrict boarding," adding, "We are making various efforts to secure the cruise ship passenger list, but it is difficult due to issues such as privacy protection."