South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin stated that "ensuring freedom of navigation in the Hormuz Strait is extremely important," while explaining the government's efforts to expand the role of the Cheonghae Unit.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Park attended the second G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Paris, France, from November 9 to 10, where he discussed key global issues such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the situation in the Middle East. In addition to G7 member countries, foreign ministers from South Korea, Ukraine, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and the Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) attended the meeting at the invitation of France, the chair country.
During the first day's AI session, Minister Park delivered a keynote speech highlighting the military use of AI and the growing cyber threats as significant challenges for the international community. He expressed concerns that these trends could pose greater challenges within the unique security environment of the Korean Peninsula and requested continued attention and cooperation from G7 countries. He also introduced South Korea's contributions and vision in the AI field, including co-hosting the 2024 AI Summit and establishing a global AI hub, emphasizing the need for close collaboration with the G7 to create a reliable AI ecosystem based on South Korea's technological strengths.
On the second day, during the session on 'Stability in the Middle East,' he emphasized the importance of freedom of navigation in the Hormuz Strait and reminded attendees that security in the Middle East is closely linked to the Korean Peninsula, requesting their interest and support for denuclearization efforts on the peninsula.
Additionally, Minister Park engaged in discussions with foreign ministers from the U.S., France, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ukraine, and the WFP Executive Director on mutual interests and attended a dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Paris Peace Forum.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "Minister Park's participation in the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting served as an opportunity to articulate our position on key issues amid the rapid advancement of AI and instability in the Middle East, demonstrating our commitment to contributing to the international community's collective response as a responsible global player." The ministry added that the South Korean government plans to continue strengthening communication and cooperation with the G7 in addressing major international issues.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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