Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol: "Will Firmly Establish 'G7 Plus' Candidate Country Status During Tenure"

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol is answering questions from the press corps at a press conference held immediately after the inauguration ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 12th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Cho Tae-yeol, the newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, expressed his ambition to "solidify the status of South Korea as a candidate country for the 'G7 Plus' during his tenure."

At the inauguration ceremony of the 41st Minister of Foreign Affairs held on the 12th at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Minister Cho stated, "With the possibility of our country's G7 Plus membership in the near future in mind, we will accumulate tangible achievements toward realizing the vision of becoming a global pivotal state."

He emphasized, "Our country is already recognized internationally as an advanced nation and is expected to fulfill roles and contributions befitting that status. Starting this year, our activities as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council will be a valuable opportunity to make meaningful contributions to international peace and security, as well as a testbed for national consensus needed to provide human and material resources."

Minister Cho urged the staff not to become "selective diplomats," saying, "In an era where the walls between economy and security are breaking down due to the US-China technological hegemony competition, we aim to strengthen economic-security integrated diplomatic capabilities and create work systems and organizational cultures that enable this."

He pointed out, "The long-standing political-centric mindset and work systems within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the silo culture between political and economic departments, have often been major factors obscuring comprehensive and strategic judgments on diplomatic issues. Before the minister’s decision-making, a convergent and integrative policy-making process through collaboration and discussion between political and economic departments must precede."

In particular, he stressed, "The recently established Economic Security Diplomacy Center and the International Technology Standards Division will play increasingly important roles in the future. Please consider the political implications of the reports produced and tasks performed, and become the vanguard necessary for foreign policy decision-making."

He added, "'Separate economy and security' diplomacy is becoming increasingly unworkable, and as a result, pursuing practical benefits excluding values has structurally become difficult. It is time to deeply contemplate where to set our coordinates, where to head, and how to proceed."