1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul met with Damon Wilson, President of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), and other policy experts  on democracy on Thursday, February 1, to discuss ways to promote democracy and human rights in the international community.

2. Minister Cho stated that the Korean government, under its vision of a “Global Pivotal State,” aims to contribute distinctively to the international community by leveraging Korea's experiences of achieving both democratization and economic development within a short period of time.  Minister Cho added that the government plans to share Korea’s experiences with the international community and effectively support the promotion of democracy especially on occasions like the third Summit for Democracy.

3. Minister Cho appreciated NED’s support for activities by civil society organizations for North Korean human rights. He underscored that the Korean government, viewing North Korea’s human rights situation and its nuclear and missile issues as interconnected like the two sides of a coin, is committed to improving North Korea's human rights situation.

4. NED President Wilson highly praised the Korean government for its leading role in the area -- especially its co-hosting of the second Summit for Democracy and hosting of the third Summit -- amid growing concerns about global democratic backsliding. He stated that he looks forward to Korea’s continued contributions to promoting democracy in the Indo-Pacific region. He added that NED will continue to provide Korea with support as necessary for the success of the third Summit for Democracy and will remain active in addressing North Korean human rights issues.

5. The meeting is seen to have served as an opportunity to enhance understanding and cooperation among relevant policy experts on the Korean government's contributions to the international community in areas such as the promotion of democracy and human rights, ahead of the third Summit for Democracy to be hosted by the Korean government next month.