Foreign Ministry: "No U.S. Deadline to Join Board of Peace...Under Careful Review"

"Attending to monitor developments in Middle East peace and stability"
Former Ambassador to Egypt Kim Yonghyun to attend Board of Peace meeting as Special Envoy of the Foreign Minister

It has been reported that the United States has not separately notified any "deadline for joining" the so-called Board of Peace, a peace committee led by U.S. President Donald Trump to end the war in the Gaza Strip and support its reconstruction. With the committee’s inaugural meeting scheduled to be held in Washington, D.C. on the 19th (local time), South Korea is expected to attend as an observer. The government plans to carefully review, over time, whether to join as a full member.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Reporter Cho Yongjun

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Il said at a briefing held at the Government Complex Seoul that "the U.S. side has not officially notified us of any deadline regarding the issue of joining the Board of Peace," adding, "We will carefully review this while taking into account all aspects, including what our role would be, how the Board of Peace will be operated, and the relevant international law considerations."

Regarding the possibility that global security issues, including the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, will be discussed at this meeting, spokesperson Park said, "We need to wait and see a bit more," and added, "Since the basic topics of the meeting are the reconstruction of Gaza, humanitarian assistance, and ways to build peace, South Korea’s participation will also focus on these areas."

On this matter, an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "This meeting is focused on Gaza’s reconstruction, humanitarian assistance, and the establishment of peace, and as we have a strong interest in peace and stability in the Middle East, we decided to attend in order to understand recent developments." According to this official, the first meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, D.C. is expected to last about two hours. Former Ambassador to Egypt Kim Yonghyun is scheduled to attend as Special Envoy of the Foreign Minister, representing the South Korean government.

On the method of invitation, the Foreign Ministry official said, "To my knowledge, President Trump sent an invitation letter to President Lee Jaemyung," adding, "President Trump is the chair of the Board of Peace." As for maintaining observer status and possible future contributions, the official explained, "It appears that the organizers will review how the committee will be run going forward," and added, "Financial contributions or in-kind donations can come not only from member countries but also from non-member countries, and it seems the committee will be operated with that in mind."

Besides South Korea, a considerable number of countries, including Japan, Italy, the European Union (EU), Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania, are also understood to be attending as observers. The Foreign Ministry official said, "Although this is a meeting centered on member countries, a significant number of non-member countries are also participating." The official added, "Observers do not have the right to speak or vote," explaining, "Since there are many member countries and the time is limited, observers attend the meeting but do not make statements."

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