Press Briefing

Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Affairs Choi Youngsam

July 20, 2021 14:30  KST

Good afternoon. Let me start today’s briefing.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Chung Eui-yong will meet with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile Andrés Allamand tomorrow morning, Wednesday, July 21.

In the meeting, the two Foreign Ministers will discuss issues of mutual interest, including Korea-Chile relations, negotiations to upgrade the Korea-Chile FTA, Korea’s accession to the Pacific Alliance as an associate member, and green hydrogen and digital cooperation.

Next, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong Kun will hold the ninth ROK-U.S. Vice Foreign Ministerial Strategic Dialogue on Friday, July 23, with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R. Sherman, who will visit Korea from July 21 to 23.

The Vice Minister and the Deputy Secretary will exchange opinions on a broad range of topics including Korea-U.S. relations, Korean Peninsula issues, and regional and global affairs.

The visit of Deputy Secretary Sherman comes as part of continued close high-level exchanges and communication between the two countries, including the recent ROK-U.S. Summit. It is expected to be an opportunity to strengthen cooperation between Korea and the U.S. on issues related to the Korean Peninsula, as well as regional and global affairs.

Before the Vice Foreign Ministerial Strategic Dialogue, Vice Minister Choi will visit Japan from July 20 to 21 to attend the eighth ROK-U.S.-Japan Vice Foreign Ministerial Meeting, which will be held in Tokyo on Wednesday, July 21.

During the meeting, Vice Minister Choi will discuss matters of shared interest among the three countries with U.S. Deputy Secretary Sherman and Japanese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Takeo Mori.

Vice Minister Choi will also have a bilateral meeting with Vice Minister Mori this afternoon, Tuesday, July 20.

Lastly, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jongmoon, who is on a visit to the U.S., will deliver a keynote speech under the theme of the ROK-U.S. alliance leading the restoration and reorganization of the global economic order at the “4th ROK-U.S. Public-Private Economic Forum” hosted by the Atlantic Council of the U.S. on July 21.

At the Forum, participants from the governments, academia and companies will have in-depth discussions on the outcomes of the latest ROK-U.S. Summit and the future cooperation in the areas of advanced technologies, supply chains for semiconductors and batteries, vaccine partnership, and climate change.

(A question-and-answer session followed.)