South Korea holds diplomatic missions summit next week

Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
WASHINGTON, 19th April. The Foreign Ministry on Thursday said that South Korea will open an annual meeting of its top envoys abroad next week with a focus on strengthening its diplomatic ties after geopolitical challenges.

According to Yonhap news agency, total of 182 ambassadors, consuls general and other heads of diplomatic missions in foreign countries will join a 5 day gathering, set for April 22-26, in a press release issued.

The summit will address the ministry’s three main tasks for this year: strong security diplomacy, diplomacy based on economics and livelihoods and multilateral diplomacy as a global pivotal state.

The ministry’s spokesperson, Lim Soo-suk, told a regular press briefing that heads of the mission will discuss ways to realise the diplomatic initiatives amid a period of geopolitical transition, including intensifying strategic rivalry between the United States and China, growing North Korean nuclear threats and the prolonged wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

They will discuss efforts to make each overseas diplomatic mission a center for exports and winning contracts for projects, and to discover ways to support the youth, Lim added.

According to a foreign ministry official, Chung Jae-ho, South Korean ambassador to China who is being investigated over an alleged power abuse against a staff member will attend the meeting

Chung is accused of verbally harassing and treating the embassy official in an arrogant and authoritarian manner, a practice called “gapjil” in Korean.

No one will be attending as envoy to Australia on behalf of Lee Jong-sup, the ministry official added.

Lee, a former defense minister, resigned as ambassador to Australia late last month after mounting criticism over his appointment and allegations that he exerted influence on a military investigation into the death of a young Marine.