Minister Kang Kyung-wha: "Prompt Realization of High-Level US Exchanges, Must Develop ROK-US Alliance"... Emphasizing 'Momentum for Korean Peninsula Dialogue'

Minister Kang Urges "Achieving Results in New Southern and New Northern Policies... More Active Economic Diplomacy"

Kang Kyung-wha, Minister of Foreign Affairs

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha stated that high-level exchanges should be promptly realized following the inauguration of the new U.S. administration to further develop the Korea-U.S. alliance.

In her New Year's greeting speech, Minister Kang said, "This year, we must continue to steadily pursue diplomatic issues and major schedules, and strive to achieve the best possible results by effectively integrating and coordinating the constantly evolving diplomatic methods amid the COVID-19 situation." She added, "Taking the inauguration of the new U.S. administration as an opportunity, we should develop the Korea-U.S. alliance through the prompt realization of high-level exchanges and further strengthen cooperation with neighboring countries such as China, Japan, and Russia."

She emphasized the need to maintain momentum for dialogue on the Korean Peninsula and achieve results in the New Southern and New Northern policies. Minister Kang stated, "While managing the situation on the Korean Peninsula stably, we must continuously cooperate with the international community to maintain momentum for dialogue aimed at the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of lasting peace." She added, "We must also strive to achieve more advanced results in our diplomatic diversification policies, such as the New Southern and New Northern policies, which we have been focusing on."

She also called for thorough preparations for hosting international conferences on climate change and more proactive economic diplomacy. Minister Kang said, "We must make thorough preparations to ensure the successful hosting of important international conferences we are organizing, such as the P4G Summit and the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting." She continued, "I hope we will actively carry out economic diplomacy that contributes to revitalizing the national economy by quickly understanding the rapidly changing global economic trends and supporting the overseas activities of our companies."

Furthermore, she stated, "We must also strengthen public diplomacy to further elevate Korea's status," adding, "We should actively adopt our strengths in digital technology and fully utilize our soft power and cultural competitiveness, which attract global attention, as diplomatic assets."

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