Park Jin: "Corruption Undermines Trust and Equality... Indo-Pacific Region Must Unite to Resolve"

Foreign Minister Park Jin's Opening Address at the 2nd Democracy Summit
"Democracy is the Most Effective Means for Freedom, Peace, and Prosperity"

Foreign Minister Park Jin said on the 30th, "Corruption undermines trust, integrity, and equality. It is our shared duty to resolve this issue with determination and unity."

Minister Park made these remarks during the opening address on the theme of "Challenges and Achievements in Combating Corruption" on the second day of the 2nd Democracy Summit Indo-Pacific (Indo-Pac) regional meeting held at the Shilla Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul.

Minister Park particularly stated, "Corruption hinders progress toward sustainable development goals." He added, "Pacific region ministers declared their challenges and progress in addressing corruption at today's Indo-Pac regional meeting and agreed to prioritize the fight against corruption by sharing the outcomes."

He also emphasized the achievements of Korean democracy as an effective means to achieve anti-corruption. Minister Park said, "History shows that democracy remains the most effective means for freedom, peace, and prosperity," and stressed, "(Korean democracy) will provide rich experience and insights to promote culturally, politically, and economically resilient democracy in the Pacific region."

He continued, "We hope to reaffirm our commitment to the democratic values we cherish and to share innovative approaches and best practices so that they can be translated into action." He further explained that democracy is a strong and legitimate means to build a well-functioning society.

In conclusion, Minister Park said, "We want today's meeting to serve as a catalyst for greater cooperation in advancing democracy in the Pacific region and beyond by sharing and uniting around democratic values."

Meanwhile, the Democracy Summit is an event first held in 2021 under the leadership of the United States to discuss responses to crises faced by the democratic camp. This year marks its second edition. Since announcing its independent Indo-Pac strategy at the end of last year, this is the first time Korea has hosted a meeting targeting this region.

The government expects that co-hosting this event will not only demonstrate Korea's commitment to restoring democracy but also positively contribute to the promotion of the government's Indo-Pac strategy.

In addition to Minister Park, the event was attended by Katherine Tai, United States Trade Representative (USTR), Ino Gong, Vice Minister of Justice, Raja Kumar, Chair of the Financial Action Task Force, and Maria Ressa, a Filipino journalist and 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.