1. A special symposium on public diplomacy will take place in the National Assembly building on August 3 to mark the entry into force of the “public diplomacy act.”

° The “public diplomacy act,” which calls for setting up an integrated system for the government and people’s public diplomacy activities, will be brought into force on August 4 after being passed at the National Assembly in January 2016.

2. The National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee and the Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA) will co-host the event with the support of the Foreign Ministry in view of the high importance of building infrastructure for public diplomacy and setting a strategic direction for its implementation in a way that befits the Republic of Korea’s international standing and position amid the growing importance of public diplomacy across the world.

3. The opening ceremony of the symposium will feature words of encouragement by National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun, opening remarks by Chairman Shim Jae-kwon of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee and KNDA Chancellor Yun Duk-min, and congratulatory remarks by Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se. The symposium will consist of three sessions on the significance of the “public diplomacy act” and ways to enforce it; the strategic direction of the ROK’s public diplomacy; and ways to take the ROK’s public diplomacy to the next level, respectively, with presentations and discussions in each session.

4. The Foreign Ministry expects the forthcoming symposium to serve as a significant opportunity to raise awareness on the public diplomacy act and to seek with experts in various sectors a strategic direction for the ROK’s public diplomacy. Going forward, the Ministry plans to refer to various opinions to be presented at the symposium in setting its policy on public diplomacy.


* unofficial translation