'Open Ministry of Foreign Affairs Forum in the "Trade Function Nerve Battle"... "Trade is the Soul of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs"'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Amid escalating tensions between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy over which department the 'trade function' should belong to in the new government reorganization, a forum hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 17th featured the claim that "trade is the soul of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

At the forum held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul, co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Korean Association for Public Administration, Ahn Ho-young, president of the University of North Korean Studies, stated in his keynote speech, "Trade has been one of the most important tasks of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since its inception."

President Ahn served as the First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs when the Park Geun-hye administration's transition team decided to transfer the trade function to the Ministry of Industry. He said he persuaded the transition team members that 'trade is the soul of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,' adding, "ultimately, the Trade Negotiation Headquarters was transferred, and after 10 years, I have witnessed that the concerns I had at the time have become a reality."

President Ahn pointed out, "the world has changed," and "economic diplomacy is supposed to be handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the Government Organization Act, but separating only trade from it does not accurately reflect the changed economic and security realities."