Yoon Meets Overseas Koreans on the Launch of the Ministry of Overseas Koreans... "Will Expand the Playground to Run"

Yoon Attends World Korean Association Presidents' Conference and World Korean Day Ceremony
Also Mentions Efforts to Achieve Vision of a Global Hub Nation

President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 5th, "We will carefully monitor overseas Koreans around the world through the Ministry of Overseas Koreans and expand the playing field where our companies, citizens, and 7.5 million overseas Koreans can thrive by strengthening the global network."

President Yoon Suk-yeol is delivering a congratulatory speech at the 2023 World Korean Association Presidents' Conference and the 17th World Korean Day ceremony held on the 5th at Lotte Hotel World in Jamsil, Songpa-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon made these remarks during his congratulatory speech at the 2023 World Korean Association Presidents' Conference and the 17th World Korean Day ceremony held at Lotte Hotel in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the same day. This was President Yoon’s first attendance at the World Korean Association Presidents' Conference and World Korean Day ceremony.

Since this is the first World Korean Day ceremony held after the launch of the Ministry of Overseas Koreans, it appears that President Yoon attended personally to reaffirm his commitment to contributing to the overseas Korean community. During the last presidential election campaign, President Yoon pledged to establish the Ministry of Overseas Koreans, emphasizing that the state should now support overseas Koreans who actively supported Korea’s independence movement, industrialization, and crisis recovery.

Accordingly, the government prepared for one year after President Yoon’s inauguration and launched the Ministry of Overseas Koreans on June 5 of this year. On the 100th day since its launch last month, the Ministry announced a roadmap for overseas Korean policies aimed at improving the status of overseas Koreans in their resident countries, revitalizing exchanges between overseas Korean communities and the mother country, and building a global network.

In particular, plans will be made to improve support for overseas Koreans affected by overseas crises, as well as systems related to immigration, stay, pensions, and insurance, based on requests from overseas Koreans.

During the ceremony, President Yoon mentioned one by one the activities overseas Koreans have undertaken for the motherland, including independence movement funds sent by workers in Hawaiian sugarcane fields and Central and South American cactus farms, foreign currency remitted by Korean workers dispatched to Germany, support for hosting the Seoul Olympics, and overcoming the foreign exchange crisis. He said, "Overseas Koreans who overcame hardships in distant foreign lands have become a strong support for the development of the Republic of Korea. We will contribute more and cooperate so that overseas Koreans can take pride and have confidence in their homeland."

President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee are entering the 2023 World Korean Association Presidents' Conference and the 17th World Korean Day Commemoration Ceremony held at Lotte Hotel World in Jamsil, Songpa-gu, Seoul on the 5th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

He also repeatedly emphasized the necessity of South Korea’s leap to becoming a global pivotal state. President Yoon said, "Now, the Republic of Korea has risen from the ruins of war and is advancing as a global pivotal state fulfilling its roles and responsibilities in the international community. Last month, in my keynote speech at the United Nations General Assembly, I proposed solidarity to reduce gaps between countries and promote coexistence, and stated that our government will take a leading role. The international community’s trust and expectations for South Korea are growing."

President Yoon Suk-yeol is shaking hands and taking commemorative photos with attendees as he exits the 2023 World Korean Association Presidents' Conference and the 17th World Korean Day ceremony held on the 5th at Lotte Hotel World in Jamsil, Songpa-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

In particular, he requested, "Overseas Koreans, please join and support us in realizing the vision of a global pivotal state that contributes to freedom, peace, and prosperity worldwide." This implies that for the development of overseas Korean communities spread across various countries, reciprocal mutual growth is essential rather than unilateral benevolence toward those countries.

Meanwhile, at the event, Park So-hee, a third-generation Korean-Japanese and Korean-American actress who played the role of Mo Ja-su, the second son, in the drama "Pachinko," based on the world-renowned bestseller novel, read aloud her experience of overcoming immigrant discrimination during her growth and her determination to live proudly without losing her Korean identity.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is awarding the Order of Civil Merit, Mugunghwa Medal, to Bae Hyo-jun (Japanese name Takemoto Takatoshi), Chairman of the Asia Foundation, at the 2023 World Korean Association Presidents' Conference and the 17th World Korean Day ceremony held on the 5th at Lotte Hotel World in Jamsil, Songpa-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Additionally, five overseas Koreans received government awards, including the awarding of the Order of the Mugunghwa to Bae Hyo-jun (Japanese name Takatoshi Takemoto), chairman of the Asia Foundation. Oh Yoo-soon, chairwoman of the Vancouver Mugunghwa Foundation, received the Order of the Moran Medal; Lim Ho-sung, senior vice president of the African and Middle Eastern Korean Associations Federation, received the Order of the Dongbaek Medal; Kim Gye-su, honorary director of the Korean Miners Memorial Hall in Germany, received the Order of the Mokryeon Medal; and Kim Su-jin, president of the Boracay Korean Association, received the Presidential Citation.

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