1. Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jongmoon attended the New and Emerging Technologies Side Event held virtually on the margins of the 76^th session of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, September 22, at 11:00-12:15, EDT.

° The event was co-sponsored by the Republic of Korea, Denmark, the EU, and Microsoft, and co-hosted by Access Now, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights(OHCHR), the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law(ICNL), and the International Service for Human Rights(ISHR).

° Various stakeholders including governments, civil societies, and the business sector participated in this event held under the theme of ‘Private Sector Responsibilities to Promote Human Dignity Online.’

2. Vice Minister Choi emphasized that digital technologies hold both opportunities and challenges for protection and promotion of human rights, and that efforts of the private sector, businesses in particular, to respect human rights are important to fully utilize the benefits of digital technologies.

° Furthermore, Vice Minister Choi introduced that the Korean government has highlighted the need for all stakeholders to work together to manage the risks of digital technologies and make the most of opportunities for human rights, through Human Rights Council resolutions on ‘New and Emerging Digital Technologies and Human Rights,’ adopted in 2019 and 2021.

° In addition, upon introducing exemplary practices of businesses home and abroad to respect and protect human rights in development and utilization of new and emerging technologies, Vice Minister Choi further emphasized the need to develop institutional methods to support such efforts by the private sector.

3. The Republic of Korea, as a country that has led the discussions on new and emerging technologies and human rights in multilateral fora, will continue to actively participate in relevant global discussions and cooperation.