Yoon: "Korea to Lead Net-Zero Alliance and Digital Norms... Will Drive New Markets and Industries" (Update)

President Yoon's Opening Remarks at Cabinet Meeting
Leading Countries in New Technology Standards Drive Industrial Development
Submission of Four Laws to Protect Teaching Rights Accelerates Normalization of Educational Sites

President Yoon Suk-yeol announced on the 25th that he will actively lead the 'Carbon Free Alliance' and the 'Establishment of Digital Norms,' which he proposed during his recent visit to New York, USA, to drive new markets and related industries respectively.

In his opening remarks at the Cabinet meeting that day, President Yoon said, "(At the UN General Assembly) the Korean government declared its active contribution to bridging the development gap, climate gap, and digital gap among countries," emphasizing this commitment.

On the 20th (local time), during his keynote speech at the 78th UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting, President Yoon revealed plans to support clean energy transitions for climate-vulnerable countries and digital transitions for digitally vulnerable countries through the expansion of Korea's Official Development Assistance (ODA). He also proposed the launch of international organizations related to the Carbon Free Alliance and digital norms.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon emphasized that expanding ODA is not only a form of global contribution diplomacy but also beneficial to Korea's economy. He stressed, "If the 'Carbon Free Alliance' we lead achieves success, it will further strengthen our competitiveness in nuclear power and hydrogen sectors, opening up a vast new export market."

Regarding the expansion of support for digitally vulnerable countries, he stated, "As all industries and cultures shift to a digital-based paradigm, insufficient digital dissemination and utilization inevitably limit both industrial productivity and public welfare." He introduced, "In my UN General Assembly speech, I promised to expand digital transition ODA so that people in digitally vulnerable countries can easily access education, healthcare, and financial services by leveraging Korea's strengths in information and communication technology (ICT)."

Concerning the five key principles of the Digital Bill of Rights introduced at the Digital Vision Forum at New York University, he said, "The Digital Bill of Rights will encompass five principles: freedom, fairness, safety, innovation, and solidarity." He added, "Whenever new technologies emerge, discussions on new norms and standards have taken place, and countries leading these discussions have invariably led the development of the corresponding technologies and industries. Now, Korea aims to lead the establishment of new AI and digital norms and the founding of an international organization." President Yoon continued, "The full text of the aforementioned Digital Bill of Rights will be reported at today's Cabinet meeting."

Additionally, President Yoon introduced that during his New York visit, he held summits and informal talks with leaders from 47 countries, discussing various topics including ODA, export and overseas expansion, investment attraction, and supply chain diversification. He reiterated, "When recipient countries benefit from the ODA we provide, larger markets will open for our companies, and more quality jobs will be created for our people."

Meanwhile, President Yoon mentioned that four laws protecting teachers' rights?the Teacher Status Act, Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Early Childhood Education Act, and Basic Education Act?were submitted at the Cabinet meeting that day. He explained, "Teachers' rights are now guaranteed and their rightful exercise protected by law. Going forward, proper guidance by teachers will not be regarded as a violation of child abuse prohibition, and disciplinary actions and punishments will be prohibited." He urged Cabinet members to swiftly implement follow-up measures and to further strive for the normalization of the educational field.

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