[News Terms] Munich Security Conference (MSC)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] The Munich Security Conference (MSC), established in 1963, is the world's largest annual international security conference discussing global and regional security issues. It is held every February in Munich, Germany, and is regarded as the Davos Forum of the security sector. Heads of state and ministers, key figures from international organizations and non-governmental organizations, as well as leaders from business, media, academia, and civil society attend. In South Korea, former foreign ministers such as Yoon Byung-se and Kang Kyung-wha have consistently participated.

The 57th conference in 2021 was held virtually due to COVID-19. Last year's 58th conference was attended by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend.

Park Jin, Minister of Foreign Affairs, scheduled to attend the Munich Security Conference (MSC) held next month in Munich, Germany.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

This year's 59th conference is the first to be held since the Ukraine war, and heated discussions are expected. South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin is scheduled to attend, and Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa is also expected to participate, drawing attention to whether a meeting between the heads of diplomacy of South Korea and Japan will take place in Europe.

The MSC chairman is Christoph Heusgen, former German Ambassador to the United Nations. Chairman Heusgen was a long-time foreign policy advisor to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and served as the German Ambassador to the UN, where he chaired the North Korea Sanctions Committee. He is regarded as 'Europe's most experienced security policy expert.'