1. In its first step to implement “diplomacy in a way that upholds the public will and communicates with the public” as vowed by Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha in her inaugural address on June 19, the Foreign Ministry launched a ministerial taskforce on innovation on July 11.

2. Having formed a taskforce of director- and lower-level officials with expertise and capabilities, the Foreign Ministry will have various opinions of its whole personnel reflected in the course of running the taskforce.

° Furthermore, the Foreign Ministry will gather opinions from the public through its “external advisory committee” composed of people with experiences and expertise from various walks of life, including relevant government agencies, academia, civil society and enterprises.

° The taskforce on innovation will seek ways that the Foreign Ministry can enhance its diplomatic capability on the back of drastic innovation facilitated by eliminating the bad practices in its personnel management, organization, budget, and work, among all the others.

3. Building on the work of the taskforce, the Foreign Ministry will continuously seek to fully meet the expectations and demands of the public, to cope actively with the rapidly changing diplomatic environment, and thereby to become a “Foreign Ministry that is trusted by the people of the Republic of Korea and appreciated by the international community,” and serves the national interests of the Republic of Korea.


* unofficial translation