1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Unification, in the presence of President Moon Jae-in, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha, Minister of Unification Cho Myoung-gyon and other officials of the two Ministries, held a discussion session on foreign and unification policies in the Seoul Government Complex Annex building on August 23.

° The session covered in depth ways to seek a peaceful and fundamental solution to the North Korean nuclear issue, inter-Korean issues, and ways to establish a permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula in the face of the grave situation where the recent series of ballistic missile provocations and exceedingly threatening rhetoric by North Korea are escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

° The participants also extensively exchanged views on public opinion-reflected and public diplomacy and winning more public support for a peaceful unification as ways to communicate more closely with the public and win more robust participation from it in the course of implementing foreign and unification policies; and on better protecting the Korean nationals staying in foreign countries, increasing assistance to overseas Koreans and other ways to promote the rights and interests of the Korean nationals and to implement people-serving, people-centered policies.

2. In the session, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha spoke about the two main policy tasks the Foreign Ministry will carry out: seeking a peaceful solution to the North Korean nuclear issue and building a peace regime; and carrying out diplomacy along with the people by communicating with the Korean nationals and the world and better protecting the Korean nationals.

° Minister Kang stated that while maintaining watertight coordination with the US on the full range of matters concerning nuclear and other issues of North Korea, the Republic of Korea will work to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue in a peaceful manner by deterring the North from launching nuclear and missile provocations and inducing it to resume denuclearization talks. She went on to say that the Foreign Ministry will seek a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula in an effort to pave the way for a permanent peace on the Peninsula.

She mentioned that to that end, the Foreign Ministry will:

- based on the steadfast ROK-US alliance and cooperation with the international community, continue diplomatic efforts to deter North Korea from engaging in provocations and to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

- in close coordination with the US, double efforts to create an environment conducive to the resumption of denuclearization talks.

- step up strategic communication with China and Russia in a bid to induce them to continue playing constructive roles.

- foster an environment conducive to implementing the roadmap to a peace regime.

° Minister Kang also stressed that the Foreign Ministry will conduct “diplomacy together with people and in communication with the world” through public opinion-reflected diplomacy and strategically expanded public diplomacy; and that with an annual 20 million Koreans traveling overseas, the Ministry will seek to better protect the Korean nationals staying overseas and to implement policies tailored to needs of 7.2 million overseas Koreans.

She mentioned that to that end, the Foreign Ministry will:

- gather public opinions regarding major diplomatic issues, seek public support for the ROK’s foreign policy through communication with citizens; and lay the groundwork for more systematic public participation in foreign affairs.

* The Ministry will set up a “center for public opinion-reflected diplomacy” and other platforms for public participation, and reorganize existing ones.

- carry out public diplomacy in an integrated and systematic manner as well as in a way that better meets the needs and wishes of the target peoples and countries, and boost “people-participated public diplomacy,” thereby enhancing the ROK’s national image and winning support for the ROK’s policies.

* An interagency committee on public diplomacy has been launched, “the Republic of Korea’s first basic plan on public diplomacy (2017-2021)” was finalized on August 10, and a “comprehensive plan for 2018 on the implementation of public diplomacy” will be set in December.

- better protect the Korean nationals overseas, including under a response system to be built to handle aftermaths of incidents and accidents that occur overseas at nighttime or over weekends and by expanding personnel in charge of such matters; and draw up policies for overseas Koreans with their host countries and generational characteristics taken into account amid the diversification of the composition of Korean communities abroad.

* A 24/7 “center for overseas safety” will be set up in early 2018.

3. Going forward, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the Ministry of Unification, will seek to share awareness on and successfully carry out policy tasks in cooperation with the rest of the government, as raised at the discussion session. In the course of doing so, it will make utmost efforts to communicate closely with the public and win its participation, inducing it to accept and support the policies.


* unofficial translation