Jin Park Attends Bali G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Holds Series of Multilateral and Bilateral Talks

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] Foreign Minister Park Jin will attend the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Bali, Indonesia on the 7th and 8th.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 7th, Minister Park will arrive in Bali at noon after completing his visit to Singapore and will begin the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting as well as multilateral and bilateral meetings including Korea-US-Japan.

Foreign Minister Park Jin is delivering opening remarks at the event hosted by the Korean Peninsula Club and the Peace Club on the 10th at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs International Conference Hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The Korean Peninsula Club is a gathering of 20 resident diplomatic missions in South Korea concurrently accredited to North Korea, and the Peace Club is a gathering of 20 resident diplomatic missions in South Korea that have permanent missions to North Korea. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The meeting will be attended by foreign ministers from G20 countries including Korea, the United States, Japan, China, and Russia.

During the meeting, both the Korea-China bilateral meeting and the Korea-US-Japan trilateral meeting are planned, drawing attention.

In particular, Minister Park will meet face-to-face for the first time with Wang Yi, China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister responsible for foreign affairs.

As the new government has emphasized a 'value diplomacy' approach amid US-China competition, the importance of diplomacy with China has increased. The Yoon Seok-yeol administration clearly defined the direction of value diplomacy in coordination with the West, including the US, at the NATO summit at the end of last month, and also strengthened efforts to restore trilateral security cooperation through the Korea-US-Japan summit.

In this context, if the Korea-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting takes place, it is expected to be the first test for diplomacy between the two countries.

If the Korea-US-Japan Foreign Ministers' Meeting is held, it is expected that discussions will be held to concretize the consensus on North Korean nuclear cooperation and security cooperation established at the trilateral summit on the 29th of last month. Since the three countries agreed to closely consult on ways to enhance the level of security cooperation, the foreign ministers may hold follow-up discussions.

However, the possibility of a Korea-Japan Foreign Ministers' Meeting is currently low. Since no solution has been reached between the two countries regarding the forced labor issue, the biggest issue in Korea-Japan relations, there is little justification for a bilateral meeting.