'Gukmin Oegyo Town' Launched... Minister Kang Kyung-wha Emphasizes "Continuous Communication Between Government and People is Important"

Embassy Call Center, Passport Civil Service Office, National Diplomacy Academy Hall, National Diplomacy Center, Han-Africa Foundation, Overseas Koreans Foundation Seoul Office, KF Data Center Occupancy

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Korea National Diplomatic Academy held the launch ceremony of the 'National Diplomacy Town' at the Diplomatic Town in Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul. About 60 officials, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha and Kim Jun-hyung of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, attended the ceremony.

In his congratulatory speech at the launch ceremony held on the 19th, Minister Kang said, "Continuous communication between the government as the supplier of policies and the people as the demanders of policies is more important than anything else," adding, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also doing its best to create a people-centered and national interest-centered Ministry of Foreign Affairs through communication with the people, and through this launch, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken a step closer to the people."

Diplomatic Town (formerly the Diplomatic Center), completed in 1996 for the purpose of leasing offices to foreign embassies in Korea, has been directly managed by the Korea National Diplomatic Academy since January 1, 2020, following the end of private consignment management at the end of 2019. The Korea National Diplomatic Academy is creating the 'National Diplomacy Town,' where the Korea National Diplomatic Academy and the Diplomatic Archives are organically connected around Diplomatic Town, and is opening the 'National Diplomacy Academy,' which expands the external education function of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy.

To enhance convenience for the public, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has gathered consular services for the public and the Ministry's communication functions with the people in one place at Diplomatic Town. Diplomatic Town houses the Passport and Consular Civil Service Office, responsible for issuing passports and apostille certificates, and the Consular Call Center, which provides 24/7 public services to assist citizens facing incidents, accidents, or emergencies abroad.

Also, led by the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, the 'National Diplomacy Academy' operated at Diplomatic Town provides a platform for communication with our citizens in the form of education and learning based on 'diplomatic content' that only the Korea National Diplomatic Academy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can supply. Starting with the 'UN Talk Concert' co-hosted with the Korea United Nations Association in October, the Korea National Diplomatic Academy plans to operate the 'National Diplomacy Academy' year-round for university students and the general public. Additionally, the newly opened 'National Diplomacy Center' within Diplomatic Town will further strengthen two-way communication with the public and serve as a communication channel that collects diverse opinions from the people, bringing the Ministry closer to the citizens.

Following the launch ceremony, from 5 p.m. on the same day, the 5th floor of Diplomatic Town's National Diplomacy Academy Hall will host the first official public communication event of Diplomatic Town, featuring a lecture by the head of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy and a dialogue with diplomats. The lecture by the head of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy will cover the current status and direction of the government's public diplomacy efforts, followed by a free communication session with the public about the vision of National Diplomacy Town and the future of public diplomacy. The dialogue with diplomats will feature five active diplomats, ranging from veteran diplomats to newcomers with 20 years of experience, engaging in candid conversations with the public about everything related to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and diplomats.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "Going forward, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will take the launch of National Diplomacy Town as an opportunity to become a Ministry that serves the people with 24-hour open services for their safety, and will continue to strive to be a people-centered and national interest-centered Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

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