- The Minister participated in the Indo-Pacific Special Outreach Session of the 2024 G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting and called for an immediate end to the illegal Russia-North Korea military cooperation.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul attended the Second Foreign Ministers' Meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) from November 25 to 26, which took place in Fiuggi, Italy, to have discussions on the situation in the Indo-Pacific region, including illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, and diplomatic and security issues, as well as ways to strengthen the Korea-G7 cooperation.

The foreign ministers of the G7 members and invited countries and representatives of invited international organizations discussed major foreign policy issues regarding the situations in Ukraine, the Indo-Pacific, and the Middle East. Minister Cho participated in discussions at a special outreach session, which was held under the topic of 'Fostering Cooperation and Connectivity in the Indo-Pacific' in G7 plus format.

* Invited countries and organizations (12) : (Indo-Pacific Session) Korea, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines / (Ukraine Session) Ukraine, NATO, and Saudi Arabia / (Middle East Session) the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, and the League of Arab States

In his remarks at the session, Minister Cho noted that the security in Europe and the Indo-Pacific has never been intertwined this much since 1950 as the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia marks the first time in history that Asian troops have been deployed to a European battlefield at the request of a European country. He also explained the Korean government's diplomatic and security policies on Ukraine, Russia and North Korea, respectively, and emphasized that the countries in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region should closely cooperate to stop illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.

Besides the Russia-North Korea military cooperation, the Ministers also discussed each country’s Indo-Pacific strategies and policies to strengthen cooperation with the G7. Minister Cho explained the diplomatic initiatives that Korea has pursued within the framework of the Indo-Pacific Strategy, including cooperation with ASEAN and Pacific Islands countries, and stressed the need for maintaining peace and stability in regional waters, including the South China Sea, and respecting the principles of international law. He added that Korea, as Chair of APEC next year, will strive to strengthen connectivity among countries in the region.

Minister Cho emphasized that maintaining the rules-based international order is crucial to respond to global polycrises, such as geopolitical rivalry and the fragmentation of the global economic order, and expressed Korea's willingness to continue to cooperate with the G7 on various issues as a major country in the Indo-Pacific region.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Minister Cho had bilateral foreign ministerial meetings with his counterparts from France, Italy, Japan, Canada, Ukraine, Indonesia and India to discuss ways to strengthen substantive cooperation with each of these countries.

Minister Cho participated in the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting at the invitation of Italy, the G7 Presidency this year. The meeting served as an opportunity to strengthen the Korea-G7 cooperation in addressing global crises and to promote Korea's vision of the ‘Global Pivotal State.’ The Korean government plans to continue to strengthen cooperation with the G7 in responding to major foreign policy issues.