President Moon Presents Credentials to Ambassadors from 16 Countries: "Global Supply Chains Are Within the Realm of Diplomacy"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] On the afternoon of the 21st, President Moon Jae-in presented credentials to new ambassadors from 16 countries at the Blue House and requested their role in the global supply chain.

During the reception following the presentation of credentials, President Moon said, "The global supply chain has recently become important, and the global supply chain, which was left to the free economy, is entering the realm of diplomacy." He added, "If there are signs of changes in the market situation for daily necessities, raw materials, parts, and intermediate goods dependent on overseas sources, such as the element water crisis, please report promptly so that we can respond in a timely manner." He also asked for information that could be referenced regarding each country's quarantine measures and compensation for small business damages.

President Moon urged the ambassadors to take responsibility as diplomats, saying, "The number of countries wanting to share information with Korea, which has responded exemplary to COVID-19, has increased, and as Korea has become a G10 country in comprehensive national power including economic strength, soft power, and military power, diplomatic demand has increased." He especially instructed them to make efforts to strengthen human and economic exchanges with host countries, noting that next year marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Latin American countries and the 30th anniversary with Central Asian countries.

In response, Lee Seok-gu, Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, said, "We will deepen the special strategic partnership with the United Arab Emirates and strengthen defense cooperation, cooperation across industries, and health cooperation," and Moon Seung-hyun, Ambassador to Thailand, said, "Regarding the global supply chain, we will activate an early warning system for rare earth elements and others."

Jung Jin-gyu, Ambassador to Panama, said, "Looking back on the 60 years Korea and Panama have walked together, we both started as developing countries, but Korea has become one of the world's top 10 economic and cultural powers and has changed a lot," adding, "Latin American diplomacy will create partnerships by finding differences."

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