Cho Hyun Holds Video Conference with Southeast Asian Mission Heads: "All-Out Response to Transnational Crimes"

Published 25 Oct.2025 18:10(KST)

Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun held a video conference with the heads of Korean diplomatic missions in Southeast Asia to discuss ways to respond to transnational crimes, including employment scams and the confinement of Korean nationals.

Cho Hyun Holds Video Conference with Southeast Asian Mission Heads: "All-Out Response to Transnational Crimes"

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on October 25, a video conference was held on this day with the participation of the heads of 12 diplomatic missions in Southeast Asia, including embassies in Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, the Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Indonesia, the Permanent Mission to ASEAN, and branch offices in Cebu, Philippines, and Siem Reap, Cambodia. The meeting was also attended by Kim Jin-a, Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs; Jeong Kihong, Government Representative for Overseas Korean Protection and Consular Affairs; Park Il, Government Representative for Overseas Korean Protection in Cambodia; as well as relevant directors and heads of departments from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Minister Cho emphasized President Lee Jaemyung's directive to establish a "Special Response Headquarters for Transnational Crimes" and to make an all-out effort to tackle transnational crimes, urging the missions to actively strengthen cooperation systems with host countries. He also stated that the ministry would seek to increase personnel, such as consuls in charge of incidents and accidents, administrative staff, and consular cooperation officers, to reduce the workload at embassies. In addition, he requested, "Please make a special effort to sincerely engage with everyone you communicate with, both at home and abroad, so that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can be reborn as a ministry that truly serves the people."

The participating heads of missions agreed to establish effective networks with local diplomatic, intelligence, and law enforcement authorities, and to pursue multifaceted cooperation that takes into account the entire region, in preparation for the possibility of a "balloon effect," where crime spreads to neighboring countries.