Germany Opposes South Korea's 'G7 Expansion Participation'?…Foreign Ministry Says "No Mention of Korea"

Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "No Mention of G7 Summit Invitation Issue"
German Foreign Minister Maas in Interview: "No Need for G11 or G12... Current System is Rational"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] As Germany appeared to oppose U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to expand the Group of Seven (G7) summit by including Russia and South Korea, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that there was no mention of South Korea nor any discussion about G7 invitations.

On the 27th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized, "The interview with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas did not mention the issue of G7 summit invitations, nor was South Korea mentioned." Earlier, on the 26th (local time), Minister Maas stated in an interview with the German daily Rheinische Post that "the G7 and the Group of Twenty (G20) are reasonably organized systems," adding, "there is no need for a Group of Eleven (G11) or Group of Twelve (G12)."

The Ministry added, "This is understood as Germany's general position on the expansion of the G7, and structural expansion of the G7 requires agreement among existing member countries."

President Trump proposed in June to expand and reorganize the G7 by including Russia, South Korea, and others. In response, Minister Maas cited the reason Russia was excluded from the group, stating, "There will be no opportunity for Russia to return unless a solution is found."

However, Minister Maas also commented on Germany-Russia relations, saying, "There are difficult situations in various fields," and "Russia is needed to resolve conflicts in Ukraine, Libya, Syria, and other areas."

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom and Canada have opposed Russia's return, and Japan is reported to have conveyed its opposition to South Korea's participation in the G7 to the U.S. government.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.