Minister Kang Kyung-hwa "Reaffirming the Importance of 'Responsibility, Openness, and Transparency Democratic Principles' Amid COVID-19"

Minister Kang Kyung-hwa Attends 13th Bali Democracy Forum "We Must Prepare More Effectively for Future Similar Crises"
Democratic Leaders Must Urgently Address Infodemic Issues Like COVID-19 Fake News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 10th, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha attended the '13th Bali Democracy Forum,' held in a hybrid online and offline format, at the invitation of Retno Marsudi, Indonesia's Foreign Minister, to discuss 'Protecting Democracy in the Era of COVID-19.'

The Bali Democracy Forum is a leading regional democracy conference hosted annually by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2008. This forum was attended by foreign ministers from over 10 countries, including South Korea, as well as representatives from the United Nations, civil society, and the business sector.

Minister Kang emphasized that the global COVID-19 pandemic should serve as an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of democratic principles such as accountability, openness, and transparency, and that by adhering to fundamental values and principles, democracy can be restored and future similar crises can be more effectively addressed.

Minister Kang particularly introduced that South Korea, based on past MERS experience, revised related legal systems and, from the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, was able to respond to the crisis more transparently, openly, and responsibly. She also stressed that South Korea has been upholding the principles of transparency and openness internationally by sharing its COVID-19 response experiences and knowledge with neighboring countries and emphasizing the necessity of essential workforce mobility for global economic recovery.

Furthermore, Minister Kang highlighted that the core of democracy lies in free public discourse and emphasized that issues such as fake news and infodemics related to COVID-19 are urgent and important challenges that responsible democratic leaders must address.

Forum participants reached a consensus on the importance of upholding democratic values and principles in overcoming the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, while sharing efforts made by various countries to protect democracy and discussing future contributions.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "Through Minister Kang’s participation in this forum, it is evaluated as an opportunity to further elevate our status as a leading country in human rights and democracy in the region by introducing our COVID-19 response achievements that have been carried out while adhering to democratic principles even amid the pandemic."

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