1. On January 24, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha joined the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2018 -- the Davos Forum 2018 -- under way from January 23 till 26.

※ The Davos Forum 2018, themed “Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World,” consists of 400-odd open and closed sessions in total.

- The 2018 round, the largest of its kind, will bring together some 3,000 people, including 70-odd leaders of countries and international organizations, such as President Trump of the US, President Macron of France, Chancellor Merkel of Germany, Prime Minister May of the UK, Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada and Prime Minister Modi of India.

2. On January 24, Minister Kang, together with summit- or minister-level officials of other countries, attended the session on “ways to resolve the lack of resources: a new approach for achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs).”

° In the closed session chaired by Prime Minister Solberg of Norway, Minister Kang delivered remarks, in which, calling the role of not only public but also private resources essential for the SDGs achievement, she underscored the need for the government to foster an environment where the private sector can raise more resources through new technology and innovation.

- The Minister shared with other participants various efforts the Republic of Korea government is making to raise such fund, including the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)’s “Creative Technology Solution” project, in which innovative technology is used to attract private capital.  

3. Later in the day, Minister Kang, along with such major Korean figures as the Governor of Chungcheongnam-do (south Chungcheong province), the President of Seoul National University, the Chairmen of Maekyung Media Group, SK Group and KT (Korea Telecom), and the Vice Chairman of Hyundai Motor Company, attended the closed session on “ways to strengthen private-public partnership in the ROK.”

° In the session held at the initiative of Seoul National University, the Minister, calling close communication between the government and the private sector very important in building “a people-centered economy and society,” stressed that the ROK Foreign Ministry will have its overseas missions render assistance to Korean enterprises, while making strong efforts to create an open, international economic environment favorable for Korean companies’ operations.

4. After the aforementioned sessions on January 24, Minister Kang held an interview with Reuters News Agency, during which she spoke about the ROK’s visions and positions regarding such major issues as the inter-Korean relations and the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. She also met bilaterally with Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui of Tunisia, during which the two top diplomats compared the successful democratization of Tunisia in the wake of “the Arab Spring” with the ROK’s democratization experience, and discussed ways that the two countries can work more closely together.

* unofficial translation