1. Chancellor Cho Byung-jae of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy will attend the second Indian Ocean Conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on August 31 and September 1. At the event, the Chancellor will share with the other participants foreign policies of the Republic of Korea government, including the new southern policy, and relay its commitment to work with Southwest Asian countries.

* The Indian Ocean Conference is hosted by the India Foundation, one of the most influential think tanks in India. Following its inaugural round held in Singapore in 2016, this year’s Conference will take place in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

2. Chancellor Cho’s attendance at the forthcoming Indian Ocean Conference, the first by an ROK official, will come as part of the ROK’s efforts to broaden its diplomatic horizon and expand its role as a middle power country. At the plenary session on security on September 1, the Chancellor will express the ROK’s commitment to tighten its relations with Southwest Asian, ASEAN and the other participating countries.

3. On the sidelines of the multilateral Conference, Chancellor Cho will hold formal or informal bilateral meetings with high-level delegates from major participating countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Nepal and Australia, for discussions on ways to enhance bilateral ties and step up substantive cooperation. By doing so, the Chancellor is expected to contribute immensely to the new government’s efforts to diversify diplomacy.

※ Among the delegates to the second Indian Ocean Conference will be President Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe of Sri Lanka; former President Mukherjee and Minister of External Affairs Swaraj of India; Foreign Minister Balakrishnan of Singapore; Foreign Minister Mahara of Nepal; Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Horii of Japan; Foreign Secretary Cayetano of the Philippines; a senior official of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Secretary Frances Adamson of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.


* unofficial translation